Concerned about the feeble growth of the Siddha system of medicine, the Mysore-based Agasthya Siddha Charitable Trust (ASCT) is approaching the central Ayush ministry and the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) with a request to introduce academic programmes on Siddha through teaching institutions at the national level.

Currently, barring Kerala, there is no Siddha medical college running outside of Tamil Nadu which is the original state of this traditional medicine.

The Trust has chalked out a project-plan to be submitted to the central government and to CCIM. It demands relaxations in the rules and regulations applicable for starting siddha medical colleges, and separate conditions are wanted for states outside of Tamil Nadu. It says that in order to popularise and develop Siddha in other states, the CCIM should take steps to start more teaching institutions.

Siddha Vaidya P SNarasimha Swamy, managing trustee of the ASCT, while speaking to Pharmabiz, said there is wide acceptance for this system of treatment among those who know its efficacy. But, nothing concrete is being done either by government or by CCIM to develop this healing system in the national or international level.

The practitioner and researcher from Mysore is of the opinion that the main reason for not developing the system in other states is lack of medical colleges for Siddha. Similarly, the major hurdle to start one Siddha medical college out of Tamil Nadu is non-availability of Siddha literature and scripts which are in Tamil language only. If CCIM takes steps to translate all the Tamil books of siddha into English, more states will come forward to start this course through their teaching institutions. Vaidya PS N Swamy said Ayurveda has grown much in most part of India because ayurvedic books are available in English and in Hindi everywhere.

While pointing out his efforts to start a Siddha medical college in Mysore in Karnataka, he said his two decades of efforts have ended in vain because of two reasons-- rules and regulations of CCIM and non-availability of Siddha literature in English. He remarks that at least in the case of other states, the Central Council should relax the parameters set for starting medical colleges. It demands an existing siddha hospital with a bed strength of 100, and a similar record of out patients everyday in the OP department. These strictures can be applicable in Tamil Nadu or Kerala, but should not be made applicable in other states where the system is unheard of.  According to him, except Tamil Nadu and Kerala, only a small number of people in other states know about Siddha system of medicine.

“Though I belong to Karnataka, I learnt Tamil to understand the real Siddha wisdom. Unless one knows Tamil to read, write and speak, it is very difficult to study Siddha medicine. Something has to be done in this regard to make the system popular in other states.  There should also be some relaxations in the rules and regulations stipulated by CCIM to start Siddha medical colleges outside of Tamil Nadu”, he told Pharmabiz.

The CCIM should also take steps to instil confidence among the students of Indian medicines about its efficacy and need for protection. Due to lack of faith in their part, the graduates who have completed their studies in the traditional systems switch over to modern medical practice though it is not legally permitted. They have no faith in what they studied. In total, the pattern of education of ISM should be changed by giving more emphasize to practical aspects of preparation of medicines, field training, forest visits, and identification of herbs and medicinal plants, and their uses. They should be given complete awareness of what are mentioned in the Siddha pharmacopoeia, Vaidya Swamy commented.