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Traditional medicine to maintain highest standard

     New Delhi: With the growing interest both globally and nationally in traditional medicine, the Government has renewed its commitment for quality control in all the facets of traditional medicines. Speaking after the inauguration of AROGYA 2008, Secretary, Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ayush), Anita Das underlined the need to maintain quality in Ayurvedic products and also ensure standards of training and education. "Growing international attention and emergence of systematic demand for Ayush products has made it incumbent on us to maintain the highest possible standards of quality," she said. In this regard, a higher emphasis on scientific scrutiny for quality control is being undertaken under the National Campaign on Quality Control in Ayush medicines. Partners like CSIR and ICMR are collaborating in this regard. She also emphasized the need for documentation of traditional knowledge for avoiding misappropriation of the same by foreign companies. In this regard, she informed that under the project for traditional knowledge digital library about 200,000 manuscripts are being transcribed into digital format. In a testimony to comprehensive documentation, a large number of documentation were released at the inaugural function. The released documents included 11 book series on Ayurveda and Siddha, 13 Siddha books translated into Tamil, 3 books on Homoeopathy and compilations on Yoga and Unani. The patent organisations are being sensitized about the Indian traditional knowledge and the results of digital library on traditional knowledge will be presented at the next plenary of WIPO. Arogya 2008 is being organized by the Department of Ayush in association with ITPO from today to November 3 at Pragati Maidan. Drug industry, booksellers and other stakeholders in the field of Ayush are participating in the fair along with the research councils, national institutes and laboratories under Department of Ayush. Main highlight of the fair will be the Indo-ASEAN conclave on traditional medicine in which 29 experts from ASEAN region are participating. This will provide a platform for exchange of ideas and increased recognition for traditional medicines of both the regions. Arogya 2008 will also have yoga demonstrations by experts with personal counseling for treatment of various diseases to yoga and naturopathy. It will have facilities for free health checkups, lectures and counseling by experts in Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, demonstration of home remedies for common ailments and sale of natural drugs and food products. There will also be a display and sale of medicinal plants.
- Oct 31, 2008