India is one of the countries in the world that developed indigenous system of medicine thousands of years ago. It is called Ayurveda, literary meaning the life science. Yajuraveda, one of the four Vedas which India has, is actually the Materia Medica of India’s indigenous medicine. Patanjali developed the Ayurvedic medical theory on the basis of Yajuravedic philosophy. The basis of Ayurvedic system of medicine has been placed on the concept of three fundamental elements of body formation namely vat, pitt and cuff. According to Ayurveda imbalance of any sort in the triumvirate causes aberration in health system of the body. This system is to be repaired and restored through two operatives, physical and psychological. Ayurveda masters developed yoga system as one that preserves the triumvirate and protects body from untimely decay. Ayurveda puts great emphasis on congenial relationship between a human being and the nature. Its basic philosophy of restoration of health means reconnecting human form, both body and mind, to sublime nature.
Outside India, in ancient Greece also, the science of medicine was discovered very early in her history. Arabs and other nations in the Asiatic region borrowed the known medical theory from them, and the Muslim world rightly gave it the name of Unani medicine. The celebrated physician of the Muslim world, Abu Ali Ibn Sina known to western world as Avicenna and hailing from Central Asia, wrote his famous work on Greek (Yunani) medicine al-Qanun al Shifa which gained such popularity with medical practitioners of the East to the extent that even today parts of the work, translated into French, are included in the curriculum of the College of Medicine at Sorbonne University in France.
This short background gives us the idea of popularity of and trust in the indigenous systems of medicine now given the name of Ayush by politicians of the country.
Fortunately, 27 years ago in the year 1987, the State Government recognized the usefulness of Ayush to the people of the state. Therefore no fewer than 417 ISM dispensaries were opened. However, it is a matter of debate as to what the logistic needs of these dispensaries were and what was actually provided. Moreover we will not take up the functioning and delivery level of these dispensaries. But a strange thing has happened which has put the entire ISM into a jeopardy of sorts and negatively impacted the system. Under pressure from some ministers, MLAs and influential political heavyweights 80 more dispensaries have been opened in different parts of the State. These dispensaries are not formally sanctioned by the Government and have proved a stumbling block in the proper functioning of the units. These are functioning on what is called internal arrangement. It means that since proper and regular staff for these dispensaries has not been sanctioned, therefore to make them run, services of qualified persons from the sanctioned dispensaries are requisitioned. This creates problems for the sanctioned dispensaries because they run short of manpower which ultimately adversely affects the people who come to these dispensaries seeking medical aid. Not only this, around 45 dispensaries upgraded way back in 1983, have only a gazetted cadre medical officer to deliver all the duties and are without a pharmacist, a nurse or an orderly, which otherwise, should have been there to cater to the needs of the people.
One finds that this is a sordid state of affairs and total chaos prevails in the department. How can the Government play with the health of the people especially those in remote areas where dispensaries have been opened with or without Government sanction? The feeling one gathers is that there is diarchy in the department and it has two masters; one is the normal departmental organization and the second is that of the political heavyweights and others who want to have their will. This diarchy should end forthwith and an overarching decision in regard to the functioning, control and planning of all ISM dispensaries should be laid down by the Government. Millions of people, mostly residing in far-flung areas of the State are the beneficiaries of these dispensaries. It is they who are adversely affected.
We would impress upon the Government to make the best use of this highly needed service by providing proper sanction and infrastructure to the old as well as new dispensaries. Manpower, equipment, space and functional system of these dispensaries need to be ensured and the so-called internal arrangement be done away with as it creates more difficulties than solving them.
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