Lack of clinical studies on the use of Siddha medicines and little researches for development of new drugs pose threat to the overall growth of the time-tested Siddha system of treatment, which had been used by millions of people for years, and still in use in Tamil Nadu and other parts of south India.

Similarly, shortage of patients in hospitals to avail this method of healing is supplementary to the burning issues faced by Siddha healthcare and research institutions. No research work is held anywhere, and even those partly initiated have ceased to exist due to lack of proper monitoring and support. Even a clinical trial study on a Siddha drug to treat osteoarthritis (OA) disease could not be continued due to lack of patients at the research institutes of Siddha in Chennai and its regional centre at Thiruvananthapuram.

When this is the situation, there are innumerable announcements of investigations on diseases and development of new drugs claiming efficacy by certain institutes and agencies funded by government of India. In effect, in the field of Siddha system no substantial researches are being held for a medicine to treat a particular disease or for the newly emerging diseases, either in Tamil Nadu or in other states. In the last one decade, the Siddha wing could claim of only two drugs, ‘Nilavembu Kudineer-choornam’ for dengue and chickungunya viral fevers, and ‘Nanguneri ennai’ for psoriasis, a skin infection.

Studies and investigations on diseases and researches for new drugs have in fact come to a standstill and no serious effort is carried out for the purpose in the field.
 
Disagreeing that there is a downward growth of the system in the state, Dr Arul Amuthan, lecturer in Siddha, department of pharmacology, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Uduppi, engaged in the research and development of a Siddha drug for treating neuropathy pain, said the state government in Tamil Nadu is supportive and helping the growth of the system, but it has not set up any research institution for the development of Siddha. The Siddha medical colleges working in Tamil Nadu are not in a position to share considerable contribution for research work. The courses in these colleges are meant for practice only, not research oriented. The medicos are also trained in that way, so no future prospects for investigation or research can be expected from these institutions, commented Dr Amuthan.

As solution to the burning issue, the researcher said, is that the academic institutions should have separate departments for research work and efficient faculties should be assigned for the purpose. Separate interdisciplinary departments need to be created and BSMS degree holders should be appointed for medical science specialization.  Separate centres need to be established for caring specific diseases like cancer, infertility, diabetes etc. The existing hospitals and the medical colleges must be elevated into higher specialist centers.

Even for treatment for various diseases, the institutions and the doctors are not enough to provide efficient treatment. Very few private institutions engage in some research work and provide good medications for serious ailments. This shows that the private participation in Siddha medicine researches is also nil and a sustainable effort is required to create a public – private partnership for overall development of the traditional system. The government and the concerned authorities, especially the commissionerate of Indian system of medicine, with the support of department of ayush should work out a strategy for the development and promotion of the state’s own traditional healing system.
 
All the studies carried out by research guides and doctors reveal one fact that the demand for Siddha system is getting increased day by day. If more and more hospitals and clinics come under government sector, the acceptance of the system will be increased and there will be huge demand for Siddha medicines which in turn will help for more production enabling the industry to develop more. The government should set up new medical colleges for Siddha, at least one for three districts, to provide maximum high speciality Siddha treatments to the patients.  

To promote the age old Siddha treatment,  along with government, all the stakeholders of the Siddha system, including the academic, medical and ministerial staffs of the colleges and hospitals should work together and chalk out strategies for its growth.