The 15th annual general body meeting of the Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI) has decided to set up ‘speciality clinics for women’s health’ all over Kerala in order to develop ‘Prasoothi Thantra’ section (obstetrics and gynaecology) of the traditional system.

With this motto, the association has started to hold training programmes for selected Ayurveda lady doctors and a treatment protocol has been prepared by experts in the field. The pilot study was conducted in Kollam district and it proved successful, according to sources from the association.

Focussing attention on Prasoothi Thantra, AMAI has conducted a discussion on women’s health issues in a special session at the state conference and adopted a resolution demanding the attention of the central Ayush Ministry and the state health department for the introduction of the clinics project. As a first step, one such clinic has been started at Kollam and to strengthen its operations AMAI has sought the help of the government. Within one year, the association will start speciality clinics in all the district headquarters, says Dr. Rejith Anand, general secretary of the association.

On the whole, the state meeting raised concerns on the increasing number of health related problems of women and all the speakers stated that there were a host of medical solutions in the Ayurveda system to address grave situations concerning women’s health. These can be utilised for the states women community provided the government gives adequate support.

The resolution presented by Dr. T A Salam, former president of the association, says that the potential and scope of Ayurveda in treating various diseases of women, especially for menstrual disorders and during pregnancy period, are immense, and such methods have to be utilised for a holistic approach for addressing women’s health issues. Detailed elucidations are there in the system about various stages of growth of women and what kind of medicines should be taken in each stage, mainly during pregnancy and post-delivery period.

The conference wanted the government to consider the prospects of this traditional medicine in addressing women related issues and initiate measures to implement the treatment method in all the Ayurveda hospitals. The theme of this year’s conference was, ‘Ayurveda for women’s health’.