The ayurvedic industry in India is all eyes and ears for Pakistan and is in the process of making all efforts to have a firm foothold in the neighbour country.
Coimbatore-based Arya Vaidya Pharmacy Ltd (AVP), in collaboration with the Karachi based Mehrunnisa Welfare Trust had plans to start hospital in Pakistan. If realized, this venture would have been the first recognized ayurveda hospital in Pakistan.
The Mehrunnisa Welfare Trust (MWT had submitted application to the Pakistan government seeking clearance for ayurveda systems of medicine to be initiated in that country. And AVP also had plans to send a group of delegates to Pakistan to impress the Pak authorities on the advantages of ayurveda system of treatment.
The company was also intending to inspect the infrastructure facilities in that country before setting up the proposed ayurveda treatment centre. Their plan was to initially set up an Ayurvedic treatment centre and clinics in Pakistan to gain confidence of the people of Pakistan regarding ayurvedic treatment.
In the second phase, shops selling ayurvedic drugs were planned to be set up in Pakistan to market these products. "We wanted to make the system popular in their country by treating the patients and instilling confidence in their minds about the efficacy of ayurveda. In the second phase we had plans to set up retail stores, said sources from AVP.
In future, the trust also have a desire to start an ayurveda teaching institution with full fledged ayurveda degree course, a research centre including provisions for clinical trials, production of ayurvedic medicines and setting up of outpatient clinics in and around the centre aiming to make the MWT hospital a premier ayurveda institute in Pakistan. The final phase includes up gradation of the teaching institute to PG level, conducting national and international seminars and setting up of more ayurveda teaching institutions and centers in the country.
AVP was playing a collaborative role in this deal. They were willing to provide technical management and expertise based on the inter country rules and regulations, provide essential medicines and oils and will offer trained staff. AVP's role included offering adequate technical information and data to the Pakistan government for setting up SOPs for functioning of the clinics and hospital. Along with this, the company also needed to seek approval from the India government, once the Pakistan authorities gave the green signal
But the green signal has not been shown till today; sources allege that this may be due to political reasons. According to them, the Pakistan government officials have said, that ties with private institutions would be taken into consideration only after the MoU with the Indian Government is finalized. A meeting between the two governments in this connection was supposed to be held. After this a team of AVP officials were supposed to leave for Pakistan and at a later stage a team from Pakistan was also planning to come to India to study the different aspects of the proposal.
Since ayurveda was a new science for their country, they need some time to understand the concept and practice of the Indian system of medicine. Unlike allopathic, ayurveda is not familiar to the people of Pakistan. Hence AVP wanted to start the practice of ayurveda in Pakistan in a legalized manner.
"We want to go there find out whether there are any similar kind of medication available there. There is every possibility that some off shoot of ayurveda would be present there as Pakistan was earlier united with India. So we wanted to do a collaborative work with their traditional system of medicine. And moreover we also need to understand the cultural, climatic and religious factors before prescribing medicines. Hence we wanted to visit Pakistan and do a detailed study. But till date the Pakistan government has not given any permission. People from MWT are still following up the issue," said sources.
Sources said that AVP had also written to AYUSH for carrying out the project, but it has expressed its reservations in helping a private organization in setting up treatment centers in Pakistan. "If our company goes to Pakistan and sets up a center there, then it would open doors for other companies too. Such a move is needed to raise Ayurveda to multi-national level," said sources.