Turn your eyes to traditional medicine!
Once upon a time, somewhere, someone used to listen to the merits of alternative medicine as a story. But now the situation has changed. In the last 10 years, alternative medical treatments have given good results for many new diseases. In particular, these medical treatments helped a lot in curing Chikungunya fever and solving problems like joint pain and fatigue that persisted for several days after recovery. These medical methods have also played a significant role in quickly controlling the spread of dengue fever that threatened Tamil Nadu in the recent past.
Papaya leaf juice, neem leaf juice, and neem water in the Siddha medicine method helped to cure and prevent this disease very easily. Tirumangalam Homoeopathic Medical College not only conducted camps at many places and distributed appropriate medicines, but also provided 24-hour mobile phone numbers and provided appropriate counseling to the people. Also directed to prescribe and purchase medicines.
These medical departments do not hide the drugs they dispense or the names of the drugs. It was easy for people to handle themselves. They openly approached the people by informing the people about the names and methods of production and where to get them. When chikungunya spread rapidly in the Namakkal district, many people protected themselves by using the medicine 'Rustox' as a preventive measure as per the advice of homeopathic doctors. Herbal drinking water and leaf juices were used by the people as festival water that thirsty visitors could drink themselves. By making these available in all government hospitals, the government has protected people and gained a reputation. In the budget report, the government has also mentioned the merits of these medical systems and the manner in which they have been used. In this case, it is necessary for the government to take more steps to popularize traditional medical systems.
Status of colleges
The colleges started by the government for this medical education broke the atmosphere where traditional medicine could only be learned or taught by those who practiced it from generation to generation. The Department of Indian and Homeopathic Medicine administers five medical colleges namely Siddha, Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy, and Yoga-Naturopathy. There are six government colleges in Tamil Nadu namely Siddha Medicine in Chennai and Palayangottai, Ayurveda in Kanyakumari, Homeopathy in Madurai and Thirumangalam, and Unani-Naturopathy in Chennai. Due to the inadequacy of the infrastructure, the Central Medical Commission has refused to approve the admission of students to these colleges for the past few years, and the Tamil Nadu government has been struggling to get recognition. Now some of the teaching posts have been filled and the Tamil Nadu government has allocated Rs.15 crore to improve the infrastructural facilities of these colleges.
Apart from this, it has also announced that Rs 12 crore will be provided to create research units. Funds should be continuously allocated to these colleges and research every year. Infrastructural facilities will improve to the extent that the students of these colleges feel confident and proud. Financial assistance is also required for conducting various seminars, workshops, and medical camps. Fund allocation should be continued keeping them in mind.
Change in enrollment
A major change is also required in the admission process in these medical colleges. In every academic year, September and October are the months for admission. In this academic year, even though there were no accreditation issues, the consultation was held only at the end of October when the student admissions were bad, and the admissions were done without sufficient time. Vacancies could not be filled due to lack of time for reconsideration. Students appearing for the class twelfth examination in March will get their results in May. If you want to join this, then you have to wait for almost six months.
Out of five courses, there is no way to know whether the department they want to join will be available. They join some other courses in the uncertain availability. Then, if this happens, they are forced to decide whether to withdraw from the course they have already joined or not. This is because, in other courses, the consultation for such courses takes place almost after the completion of one semester and preparation for writing the exam. Fees paid by the participating college are also non-refundable. After appearing in the class 12th examination, waiting for eight months to join the next course is stressful for the students. As is the case for engineering and English medical education, the consultation should be completed by July and the students should be admitted.
Where are the job opportunities?
Government employment for alternative medicine graduates is also very less. Only the Department of Siddha or Homoeopathic Medicine is functioning in District Capital Government Hospitals. District capital means both these departments. Only one doctor. They also see outpatients. Departments of Ayurveda, Unani, and naturopathy are still not functioning in government hospitals. There is no government employment for the students who study them. All departments of alternative medicine in government hospitals and primary health centers should start and appoint doctors.
Patients have to consult doctors to get the medicines they need. Even if you need to buy some medicine in an emergency, there are no drug stores. You have to look for drugstores hidden somewhere in the cities. Alternative medicines should also be made readily available in cooperative pharmacies.
Keeping our heritage and identity and developing treatment methods taking into account our climates and living conditions, these medical systems are leading in building the reputation of the government among the people. Therefore, the government should pay more attention to and improve these medical systems and education!
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