The union minister for health and family welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss has urged the Ayush drug industry and research institutions to standardize and improve the quality of products and services so as to build up consumer confidence. Inaugurating the 5-day 'AROGYA-2005', comprehensive health fair, organized by the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare here yesterday, the minister said that continuing reliance of majority of our people particularly in rural areas on traditional Indian systems should motivate us to undertake scientific validation, R&D and quality improvement of indigenous medicines. He said that the need of the hour is to look at the strengths and scope of indigenous systems of health care and propagate their usages in right earnest.

The Minister said that Ayush healthcare systems could play an important role in meeting the healthcare needs of our people. Today the adverse effects of chemical drugs and the compartmentalized fragmented approach of treatment are the common challenges that the medical fraternity as well as the patients are facing all over the world. People suffering from chronic diseases for which there are no cures in modern medicines are looking at these traditional Indian systems of therapies. Yoga and meditation are gaining popularity in several European countries and the USA, he added.

The Minister said that morbidity and mortality related to communicable diseases and the lifestyle related disorders in urban areas pose a serious challenge to healthcare system in our country on account of paucity of resources and infrastructure constraints. It is only by innovative research and development and standardization of Ayush drugs and drug-less therapies that we can meet their expectations. In this context, he underlined the need for upgrading the modern medical curriculum and said that the students' community would need to have more practical and rural oriented education. He also underlined the need for generating awareness for bridging the knowledge gaps and to do away with the myths people have about these medicines.

As for scientific validation of classical medicines and development of new drugs of Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha, the minister said that the Department of Ayush has launched a Golden Triangle Research Programme in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and to preserve the authenticity and to ensure its proper use, the Department of Ayush has issued guidelines prescribing minimum requirements for Panchakarma centres. Referring to the issue of patenting, the minister said that it is irony that our own people are patenting these products outside. We need to protect these and our heritage which has been there for long. Major patenting countries today are engaged and are trying to decipher the products and formulations and we need to do something about it, he added.

Earlier the minister of state for health and family welfare, Panabaka Lakshmi, in her address said that Indian systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy by virtue of the use of natural raw materials and principles of health care are in great demand and are emerging rapidly to cover the gaps in health care. The secretary, Department of AYUSH, Uma Pillai, also addressed on the occasion.

During the five-day Fair, Research Councils, National Institutes and Laboratories under the Department of AYUSH will project their achievements in the field of research besides participating in the fair. The main highlights of the fair would be live Yoga demonstrations by experts with personal counselling for treatment of various diseases through Yoga and Naturopathy. People will have the benefit of free health check up besides attending to lectures and counselling in Ayurveda, Unani and Homoeopathy, Siddha, Yoga and Naturopathy. There will also be display on reproductive and child health systems and family welfare. Sale of medicinal plants and know how on cultivation of medicinal plants shall be a novel feature of AROGYA 2005. There will also be display of books and other information material on Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy sector.