"Health for all by 2000 AD"-India is a signatory to this declaration made at Alma Ata, USSR in 1978 by WHO. This is only possible when all the indigenous health care resources are involved, in rendering Primary Health Care in a developing country like ours. In the present context, Ayurveda based on certain unique concepts of health and illness, preventive medicine and rich material medica, with its present manpower including institutionally and traditionally trained physicians, traditional birth attendants and Swasthya -rakshaks can "play major role in Primary Health Care in India. The paper details certain experiences of Ayurvedic Mobile Clinical Research Programme - like regular visit of Ayurvedic medical team, essentially of a female doctor in villages, free medicinal supply and utilization of locally available herbal drugs. A need of integration of Ayurveda with Modern Medicine at Primary Health Care level is also strongly advocated. The experiences of China, where modern technology has been successfully supplemented to the treatment by traditional Chinese medicine, are also examined. A tentative list of 50 Ayurvedic essential drugs, mostly herbal, for Primary Health Care programme, is proposed.
Key words: Integration of Ayurveda with Modern Medicine, Primary Health Care, Health for all, China model of Integration, Essential Ayurvedic drugs.
|