New Delhi, March 2: Traditional systems of medicine are likely to get a boost if a proposal now before the World Health Organisation goes through.
The reported success of the Chinese health care programme has made the WHO evince interest in traditional systems of medicine in various countries, and a group of experts has been busy during the past few months collecting information about Ayurveda and other systems.
This group is said to have come to the conclusion that these systems can be assigned a useful role in national health services. The findings are expected to come up before the WHO General Assembly session in May, and if the recommendations are accepted by member countries, WHO assistance will be forthcoming for schemes to utilise Indian systems of medicine in the rural health care programme.
The WHO group has been on a study tour in India to have an idea of the role played by the Vaids and Hakims and the people’s response. The group visited villages and small towns in Uttar Pradesh and had discussions with medical experts there. The experts have been convinced that practitioners of the Indian systems of medicine are playing a vital role in catering to the health needs not only in rural areas but also in towns, and the answer to the problem of rural medical care lies in deploying Vaids and Hakims.
Published – March 03, 2025 01:33 am IST