| Introduction: Contextual introduction. Body: Explain some challenges faced by Ayurveda practitioners. Conclusion: Write a way forward. |
Ayurveda is also called traditional system of Indian medicine. Ayurvedic medicine is an example of a well-organized system of traditional health care, both preventive and curative. Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing”. Most material relating to the health and diseases are available in Atharva veda.
Challenges faced by Ayurveda practitioners:
- There is limited practical usability of ancient medical wisdom taught in college training.
- There is a trust-deficit about the soundness of Ayurvedic theories and the fruitfulness of its practices. A major reason for this trust-deficit is its diminished evidence-based quality. Practitioners resort to gimmickry and publicity, due to general trust deficit. It is harmful for genuine Ayurveda physicians.
- Though the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) has implemented various educational regulations to ensure minimum standards of education, there has been a mushroom growth of sub-standard colleges causing erosion to the standards of education.
- Ayurveda does not have a vibrant ecosystem of science and research. A poor practitioner has to depend on himself to discover treatments and approaches that actually work.
- The process involves a lot of trial and error with patients and predictably leads to an erosion of the practitioner’s reputation.
- Most States prohibit the practice of modern medicine by Ayurveda graduates and, consequently, the practitioner finds himself crippled again.
- The Ayurveda establishment has failed to keep pace with the intellectual and scientific advances of the times. Ayurveda treatments are slow to heal is another common view that characterizes the public image of Ayurveda.
A statutory decision should be taken to allow Ayurveda graduates to practice modern medicine in stipulated primary care areas. There is need for sincerity, straight-thinking, and some adventurism on the part of stakeholders.
