CTMR
– Annual Report- 2012-13
Centre for Traditional
Medicine & Research (CTMR), is a ‘Voluntary organization’ operational since
2000. The key objectives of CTMR are Mainstreaming Traditional medicine in the
area of public health, Creation of awareness, Capacity building by way of
training, Developing cost effective treatment protocols based traditional
medicine and promotion of research in
traditional medicine including cultivation and conservation of Medicinal
plants. The NGO works closely with different Government departments, other
institutions and organizations for the above cause.
1. Public Health Initiatives:
1.1
Primary
Health Care :
Almost 80% of the population in the
semi-urban areas and 60% of the rural population depend on private health care
providers- both qualified as well as unqualified in spite of improvement in
Public health delivery infrastructure. Marginalized communities like fishermen,
dalits and tribal, who are daily wage earners still find it difficult to
utilize the Govt. services due to reasons like loss of wage on the days of
hospital visits, distance to the nearest health facility and the timing of the outpatient
clinics. There is very limited awareness about disease prevention and treatment
through AYUSH systems. CTMR felt it necessary to provide the AYUSH services at
the doorstep of such marginalized communities, create awareness about healthy
lifestyle, food as envisaged in Traditional Medical systems and reduce health
expense burden of these communities. CTMR runs two Primary Health Care Centres
(Chinnandikuppam in Kanchipuram district and Kanavaaipudur in Salem District)
and a Mobile clinic (Velankaadu in Kanchipuram district). About 10,000 people
are benefitted by these intervention, where medical services and medicines are
provided free of cost to the beneficiaries. A uniform treatment protocol is developed
and followed. The drug list for the centers is based on the ‘Essential drug
list’ of Dept. of AYUSH which essentially contains safe plant medicines and
they are procured from GMP approved units. 40% of the residents of these adopted villages
now solely dependent on AYUSH services, while 40% utilize these services for
primary health needs and avail services of other medical facilities for Lab
investigations and medical emergencies. 20% have reservations in using
traditional medicines. Medical Records are maintained for all registered users.
Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation and AMR Charitable trusts provide
partial support for these activities.
1.2 Public
Awareness on Healthy Living:
Health Education is of primary
importance particularly in prevention and management of Non Communicable
Diseases – Lifestyle Disorders. CTMR use a three pronged strategy for health
education. Since young student population is attracted to unhealthy processed
food due to strong enticing advertisement both in print and visual media, CTMR
conducts regular interactive programme in both govt. and private schools and
colleges and also conducts health exhibitions including medicinal plants, minor
millets, health food and healthy lifestyle. These sessions also cover the ill
effects of lack of physical activities, smoking and consumption of alcohol. CTMR
volunteers along with Ekam foundation organized awareness programme for health
workers and anganwadi workers on ‘Managing common ailments with locally
available medicinal plants’ in almost 10 districts of Tamil Nadu during the
‘Joy of Giving Week’. CTMR also conducts interactive sessions for public on
diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cancer along with various residents
associations and Community Based Organizations. The Third approach is by a
serial of Talk shows on health in Doordarshan – Pothigai sponsored by Ministry
of Health and Family welfare. (About 50 shows during the current year) and
write-ups in both English and Tamil dailies and magazine including one
published from Srilanka.
2.
Documenting Traditional Knowledge.
2.1 Local
Health Traditions
Traditional Health Practitioners still
put to use the knowledge acquired from their
forefathers and treat patients with
locally available plant resources. This knowledge also helps conservation of
the medicinal plant resources. As the continuation of the project of
‘Documentation and Validation of Local Health traditions’ supported by Dept. of
AYUSH, further interactions were held with the healers individually and as
groups and the peer validation of the practices were carried out in six
districts of Tamil Nadu namely, Vellore, Thiruvanamalai, Salem, Dharmapuri,
Krishnagiri and Namakkal Preliminary interactions have also been initiated with
healers of Villupuram, Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts. The use of plants
and practices mentioned by the healers were further validated with classical
Siddha texts and recent research publications. This compilation is ready for
finalization.
2.2 Digitalization
of Siddha Palm Manuscripts
During
the previous year 160 bundles consisting of 257 works of Siddha Palm
Manuscripts collected from individual healers were digitalized with Grant-in-
Aid from Dept. of AYUSH and the digital copy along with the catalogue was
submitted to Dept. of AYUSH and Siddha Central Research Institute. The work of collection of Palm manuscripts
and digitalization was further continued and currently 367 works are
digitalized. This will be a continuous process and requires financial support.
3. Capacity building
3.1 Training
One day training was conducted for the
traditional healers of Salem and Dharmapuri district at Kolathur in Mettur
Taluk (August 2012). Management and treatment of common ailments, differential
diagnosis in Jaundice, Mother and child health care were covered. 80 healers
from this district took part. This was followed by field visit for
identification of Medicinal plants.
The Objective of conserving the palm
manuscripts is to enable passing on the traditional knowledge to the next
generation. Very few people have the expertise to decipher the writings in Palm
manuscripts particularly the ones in poetic form. CTMR has conducted training
to Siddha physicians, students of plant sciences and Tamil literature to read
and interpret the palm manuscripts. Training in groups was conducted at Madras
Christian College (Feb 2013) and for individuals at CTMR.
3.2 Workshops
One
day interactive session was held for the tribal medicinal plant collectors and
growers from Dindigul and Thiruvanamalai districts affiliated to Centre for
Indian Knowledge Systems along with Tamil Nadu Siddha Ayurveda Unani Drug
manufacturers Association in Apl 2012. The Sustainable collection practices,
Good Post harvest handling practices were explained to them.
One
day workshop on medicinal plants was conducted in association with Healers
association of Kolli hills for the traditional healers at Kolli hills in
Namakkal district in May 2012. Healers from Namakkal, Thirupur, Sivaganga and
Ramanathapuram districts took part
One
day workshop was conducted in May 2012 on the ‘Beauty of Siddha Formulations’
in which a large number of practicing Siddha doctors, Post graduate Scholars
and Traditional healers participated. The synergy of the ingredients in the formulation
to enhance efficacy, safety profile and the ability to enhance the
bio-availability was dealt in great details.
One
day workshop on identification, propagation and utilization of medicinal plants
was conducted for the students of Community College of Agriculture at
Sukkankolai farm of the CIKS. 50 students took part in the workshop.
4. International Training and interactions.
4.1 International
Conference;
Dr.T.Thirunarayanan was invited to
present a keynote address on Siddha Medicine in the Second international
conference of Tibetan Medicine held in Dharmshala in the august presence of
H.H.Dalai Lama. There was also a Joint meeting on ‘Impact in Traditional
pharmaceutics on UN ban on the use of Mercury’
4.2 Training
on Siddha for foreigners
A three days training was conducted in
association with Siddha Applied Science Institute at Penang, Malaysia on the
‘Management of lifestyle disorders and common ailments with plant drugs based
on the principles of Siddha Medicine in Sept 2012.Forty participants from Russia, USA, Canada, France,
U.K and Switzerland took active part and the trainees continue the learning
online.
4.3 A
two days interactive session on the ‘Commonalities between Siddha and Tibetan
Medicine’ was organized by CTMR along with Mee-See- Khan at Chennai in March
2013. Eighteen Tibetan doctors and 14 Siddha Physicians took part in the
interaction. This helped the participants appreciate the common features of the
two traditional medical systems and paved way for joint research in the future.
5. Medicinal Plants
5.1 Institutional
Gardens and Home herbal garden
During the current Year, School herbal
garden has been established in five city schools. Herbal garden has also been initiated in
Institute of Child Health Egmore and 100 households were trained in
establishment of home herbal garden.
Continuous technical support is rendered
to Green kovai- a unit of AIM For Sewa. Technical inputs provided for farmers
group affiliated to CIKS and Murugappa Chetty Research Centre.
A survey of the Medicinal Plant Flora of
National Institute of Siddha was carried out by Vd.S.Usman Ali along with
volunteers of Siddha Maruthuva Mandram, Kalpakkam in Nov 2012 and report
presented to the Director.
6. Research
6.1
A study was carried out on the ‘Role of traditional food with minor millets on Obesity,
Hypertension and Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus’ by
Dr.T.Thirunarayanan
6.2
A study on the propagation and survival of select medicinal plants by stem
cuttings is initiated for three important medicinal plants.
6.3
Three Research Scholars were guided on the ethno botanical studies and Urban
garden studies with reference to medicinal plants by Vd.S.Usman Ali.
6.4
Authentic samples of medicinal plant materials were provided to numerous
research scholars for carrying out pharmacognostical, phytochemical and
toxicological studies. Results are published in their research reports.
6.5
Two students were provided support for studies on Siddha Palm Manuscripts as part
of their Ph.D programme by Vidwan N.Srinivasan.
7. Publications
Two
books, ‘Introduction to Siddha Medicine’ in English and ‘Training manual for
traditional healers’ were published during the current year. A small booklet on
‘Home Herbal Garden’ was published in association with ‘reStore garden’ a NGO. Manuscripts
for two other books are in the pre-press stage. Three research papers of CTMR
staff were published in peer reviewed international journals
8. Advocacy
CTMR
has been continuously interacting with Government Departments on the various
regulations which have an impact on improving the quality standards of medical
services through Traditional Medicine. The organization has enabled the
revision of ‘Poisonous drug list, Essential Drug List and the Siddha Dossier of
the Dept. of AYUSH. CTMR office bearers
have also participated in stake holders meeting organized by different Govt.
Depart on Safe guarding Intellectual Property of Traditional knowledge and
promotion of Traditional health food and minor millets. CTMR has also been
instrumental in pushing for opening of Urban Siddha Health Centers by Local
Govt. Chennai corporation in fact in its current year budget has announced
opening of 25 AYUSH centers in Chennai. CTMR has also been advising ISM drug
manufacturers on continuous quality improvement.
9.
Resource
Management
All
units (Office and two Health Centres) are operating from ‘Rent free
accommodation’ provided by donors. The fund for procurement of medicine,
medical records and dispensing material are provided by AMR trust and TIIC.
Local Health Tradition documentation is partially supported by Dept. of
AYUSH. Excepting three junior staff all
others render service voluntarily. Most activities are carried out with support
from Partner NGOs and deficit of Rs 5, 00,000 is met by office bearers.
Acknowledgement
CTMR is thankful to the
following Govt. Department and other organizations for their continuous support
·
Dept. of AYUSH, Govt. of India. New
Delhi
·
Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment
Corporation, Chennai particularly its Chairman. Mr Md.Nasimuddin ,I.A.S. Mr.
A.Mohan , Deputy Gen. Manager & Mrs.S.Sashikala.
·
Mr.P.Arulmudi Chairman, AMR Charitable
Trust, Chennai
·
Dr.R.Vijayakumar I.A.S Addl. Chief
Secretary –Planning Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Smt.Sheela Rani Chunkath. I.A.S Addl
Chief Secretary, Govt. of Tamil Nadu Mr.V.Prabakaran-I.F.S, Chief Conservator
of Forest. Tamil Nadu for constant support and guidance for various projects.
·
Dr.K.Manikavasagam- Director, National
Institute of Siddha
·
Siddha Applied Science Institute.
Malaysia and its founder SriPranaji.
·
Principal, Head of the Dept. of Plant
Biology and Biotechnology Madras Christian College, Chennai and
Prof.D.Narasimhan
·
Mr.R.T.Vijayaraghavan Charted Accountant
·
Siddha Physicians– Dr.R.Sudha, Dr.V.Tamilalagan,
Dr.T.R.Siddique Ali,
Dr. G.Padmavathy and Dr. R.B.Ramamoorthy.
CTMR Personnel
Name
|
Area
|
Vd.S.Usman
Ali
|
President.
Research &
Local Health Tradition
|
Vidwan.
N.Srinivasan
|
Manuscriptology
|
Dr.T.Thirunarayanan
|
Public
Health & Training
|
Dr.R.Padmapriya
|
Health
awareness & Publication
|
Dr.S.Rajkumar
*
|
Digitalization
of Palm Manuscript
|
Dr.
S.Sangeetha
|
Public
Health Initiative
|
Dr.Thirumagal
|
Primary
Health Care
|
Mrs.V.Sundaravalli
|
Medicinal
Plants –Garden initiative
|
Mr.Adikesavan
|
Photodocumentation
& Palm Manuscript Conservation
|
Dr.S.Rajkumar * resigned during the course of the year.
Be
part of our mission.
Contact
us:
Secretary,
Centre for
Traditional Medicine & Research,
4A,4th Cross Street, Mahalakshmi
Nagar.
Adambakkam,
Chennai- 600088.
Ph: 044-22533399
E-Mail: ttn64@sify.com/siddhactmr@gmail.com
