Day 6 Update- Ayurveda On Merit

17th June, 2012

Dear friends,

Our cause added 120 new Voices for Ayurveda yesterday and we crossed 350 signatories by last late evening. These voices come from virtually every State of India. I thank and welcome each new signatory to our cause.

Yesterday, after being informed of the "Include Ayurveda' petition a prominent Member of Parliament and a highly independent, articulate leader with a global perspective wrote in: "I agree with you entirely and am writing to the Defence Minister myself".

Senior members of the AYUSH department have confirmed their support for this cause. After AMMOI's endorsement, in the coming days, we see various other stakeholder associations formally endorsing this petition.

Dr. Sreevaths NV, Sr. Ayurveda Doctor, shared yesterday on the petition site WHY he signed this petition:

QUOTE
This demand is not just an emotional issue of those who practice and patronise Ayurveda. Being a trained Marma physician who has undergone graduation studies from Kottakal and post-graduation in Salyatantra from Government Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala where marma - bhagna chikitsa is done and taught, I can tell that Ayurveda has a lot of scope in dealing with many musculo-skeletal-neuro conditions both acute and chronic, which our defence personnel suffer with. Ayurveda has a good role in preparing the body to withstand extra-ordinary conditions to which they are exposed to, both mentally and physically. It is useful as an active treatment as well as supportive therapy. It helps in rehabiilitation therapy also. Evidences and experience prove this. Concerned authorities will be doing a great service for the people who sacrifice their life for the defence of our country by extending facility for Ayurvedic treatment to them. Jai Jawan.
UNQUOTE

Thank you Dr. Sreevaths- you have hit the nail on its head. This is not an emotional demand being made. This is a rational demand, on the merits of Ayurveda being considered as a medical science capable of rendering effective medical care for people at large including serving and retired armed forces personnel.

Unfortunately, the communication about the Ayurveda sector that is most visible is through the casual-relaxation-pleasurable experience lens rather than the viewing glass of Ayurveda being a rigorous, time-tested methodical, effective medical science practiced by trained and certified professionals.
These professionals qualify to enter the Ayurveda medical profession through tough competitive exams for a rigorous 5 1/2 year program similar to the MBBS program, followed by the option of a 3 year post-graduate program with 19 specialisation options including Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, General Surgery, ENT & Opthalmology, Psychiatry, Panchakarma, Pathology, Fundamental Principles, Ayurveda Samhita, Anatomy, Physiology, Materia Medica & Pharmacology, Alchemy, Pharmaceuticals, Social & Preventive Medicine, Toxicology, Anaesthesia.

There are about 250 Ayurveda colleges across the country with average batch strength of 50 doctors. While, as in every other sphere of education, the quality of education imparted varies across colleges, we have several prestigious institutions producing highly motivated and competent Ayurveda doctors across the country. Perhaps this change in the profile of Ayurveda medical professionals is not visible to the lay public as much as it should be and particularly to the Armed Forces leadership. While the blame for this primarily has to lie with the Ayurveda sector it does not absolve the AFMS of its narrow-minded approach to examine the issue.

The Ayurveda sector stakeholders are now willing to provide all necessary technical information to enable the AFMS to examine the issue comprehensively and come up with a judicious framework that works in the best interests of their serving and retired personnel, and their families. Also, it is an insult to the nation if the AFMS sticks to the dismissive stand that they have taken in court with respect to Ayurveda, India’s national system of medicine. We hope this message reaches the AFMS top echelons and we urge them to reconsider the stand they have taken with an open mind and with serious intent. Soldiers and their families of all ranks and services will be grateful to them for giving them freedom of choice to opt for Ayurveda medical care for select medical conditions to begin with.

Today is Sunday… a day of rest for many. May I urge you to spare a little time to spread the message to like-minded friends and colleagues of yours. And seek their support and their signature to the “INCLUDE AYURVEDA” petition.

Jai Hind,

Rajiv Vasudevan