Documentation and assessment of local health traditions of Sikkim initiated

TRAINING FOR FIELD INVESTIGATORS AND FOLK HEALERS FROM ALL FOUR DISTRICTS BEGINS

GANGTOK, 14 Dec: Ayurveda Regional Research Institute [ARRI], Tadong, has decided to document and assess local health traditions of Sikkim in collaboration with North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine [NEIFM], Pashighat, Arunachal Pradesh.

As part of this initiative, a week-long training programme for field investigators and folk healers from all four districts was inaugurated by the RMDD Minister, CB Karki here today. The training has 16 field investigators and folk healers from different parts of the state.
This state-level training will be provided to field investigators on collection of data, herbarium preparation, identification of plants, well designed true documentation and assessment of local health traditions of Sikkim.
In his inaugural address, the Minister stated that the state government has been providing facilities in both allopathic and ayurvedic medicine along with opportunities for research in these fields but local people are not taking advantage of these opportunities.
Mr Karki informed that the government has given priority to health sector in the state by creating medical facilities from grass-root level to state-level and even sending patients outside the state for medical treatment. He added that through the CATCH programme the government has been reaching medical facilities at the people’s doorsteps.
Pointing out that the state has been lagging behind in research work in these fields the Minister encouraged young researchers to work hard towards protecting and conserving the natural and traditional heritage of Sikkim and further expressed hopes that the programme would bear the desired results.
ARRI Officer-Incharge, Dr AK Panda informed that it was a six-month project aiming at revitalizing the local health traditions of Sikkim and training folk healers on human anatomy, physiology, etc.
“All the findings of our study will be communicated to the State Biodiversity Board as a knowledge repository and if any active biological compound offering promising prospects of curing diseases is found then it will be patented and royalty will be shared by the primary knowledge provider,” he said.
He stated that the project wants to encourage the new generation to take up this tradition in a meaningful way. This effort may reduce the expenditure of unnecessary modern investigation and treatment and will also generate employment for rural youth in the fields of medicinal plant cultivation, extraction, pharma, trading, wellness industry and practice of herbal medicine, he added.
Dr Panda informed that the tradition of promotion of health and curing diseases by traditional healers was still prevalent in the North-eastern region and further added that nearly 500 identified medicinal plants were used in health care in Sikkim alone.
“Our institute in collaboration with the Forest Department identified 102 folk healers in Sikkim working in bone setting, curing jaundice, gastritis, various chronic pains, female disorders and child care”, informed Dr Panda.
Health Department Principal Director, Dr RL Sharma, mentioned about the various initiatives of the state government to encourage the ayurvedic system and indigenous system of medicine. He appreciated the project as a good platform to exchange ideas and research studies.
Assistant Director from the Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions, Bangalore, G Hari Ramamurthi, expressed that Sikkim is one of the richest states with a long tradition of multi-ethnic culture in health care in the country. Sikkim has around 1100 species of medicinal plants in which 500 have been documented so far and the remaining need to be documented and Sikkim should be the best model in the rich medicinal plants biodiversity in the country, he added.
Mr Ramamurthi urged the state government to come out with a policy to preserve cultural, traditional and natural heritage of the state to set an example for the whole country. He warned that if these species are not documented at the earliest then they could be misused for vested interests.
The inaugural function was also addressed by HOD Pharmacology, SMIMS, Dr KC Swain, and Medical Officer NEIFM, Pasighat, Dr Mesing Pertin. The function concluded with the vote of thanks by ARRI Research Officer, Dr SK Debnath.