While the Kerala tourism department is in the process of bringing in regulations and a policy to upgrade the quality of Ayurvedic massage parlours related to health tourism, the Ayurvedic community in the state has urged the government to bring in a regulatory mechanism headed by the AYUSH department to monitor and regulate the functioning of treatment centres related to Ayurveda.
The move comes in the wake of a sex racket busted in Thrissur city a month ago. The police had arrested some people from a self-styled Dhanwanthari Ayurveda hospital, which was dealing with flesh trade in the guise of health tourism and Panchakarma treatment for tourists.
Top level sources with the Ayurveda community in Kerala told Pharmabiz that similar instances are recurring in Kerala in the recent past, consequent to the emerging opportunities in the field of the Rs 5000-crore odd tourism industry in the state, which pivots on the popularity of Kerala's Ayurveda treatment and Panchakarma. At present, only the leading hotels and less than 100 centres have quality Ayurveda Panchakama facilities with professionally qualified Ayurvedic practitioners and masseurs.
However, the state has thousands of panchakarma treatment centres in different tourism centres operating with unqualified masseurs, and many tourists have complained of complications arising out of the 'treatment' they undertook at these centres. Proliferation of such units has extensively damaged the reputation of Kerala Ayurveda, which boasts of thousands of year's tradition. Apart from an 'olive and green' status quality certification offered by the state tourism department, none other regulatory mechanism prevails in the state to monitor and regulate these mushrooming centres and clinics.
According to the Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers Organisation of India (AMMOI), the AYUSH wing of the state health department should directly regulate and monitor these centres, instead of bring these units under the tourism department. All the districts have a DMO for ISM medicines, and technical committees involving experts in the subject should be formed under the DMO to periodically inspect the Panchakarma units and Ayurvedic hospitals to ensure the quality of treatment and nature of services offered by these centres. Licensing also should be brought under the state health department, as done in the case of drug manufacturing units. The Government should also devise clear-cut guidelines and policies for licensing, in-house practices, raw materials, infrastructure, treatment methods, manpower and functioning of Panchakarma treatment centres, said AMMOI.
Dr. D Ramanathan, general secretary of AMMOI, said that a memorandum in this regard has been submitted to the state health minister. The issue will be also brought to the notice of the union health minister and officials with a view to frame a national policy on the subject, said Ramanathan.