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K.G. Kumar

SO what if the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, could not make it for the inauguration of the first World Ayurveda Conference at Kochi last week? The delegates were treated to a far more exuberant ringmaster, the Union Minister for Health, Mr Shatrughan Sinha, once nicknamed "Shotgun Sinha" for his staccato burst of dialogue delivery in his heydays as a Hindi film villain.

Nothing villainous about Mr Sinha's current avatar, though, nor about the setting or raison détre of the Kochi conference. And no flamboyant dialogues were needed to drive home to the delegates the fact that health is big business.

The healthcare sector is among the most rapidly growing in the world economy. It is estimated to generate $3 trillion each year in the OECD countries, and is expected to rise to $4 trillion by 2005.

What better way to grab a slice of the action than to enter a niche area like alternative or traditional medicine? That was the focus of the World Ayurveda Expo and Herbal Trade Fair held alongside the Kochi conference.

According to the organisers, the global herbal market is valued at Rs 53,000 crore, growing at 6.5 per cent annually. While China alone has a share of Rs 15,000 crore, India reports a mere Rs 350 crore. Of that, Kerala alone contributes Rs 200 crore.

Traditional medicine has always been popular in most Asian and African countries. In China, it accounts for around 40 per cent of all healthcare delivered. In Africa, up to 80 per cent of the population uses traditional medicine. Apart from firmly entrenched cultural belief systems that favour traditional medicine, its attraction also stems from consumer concerns about the adverse effects of chemical drugs.

Kerala is thus plugging into a growing worldwide trend. The last decade has seen a spurt of interest in alternative systems of medicine in many developed countries. A third of American adults have opted for alternative treatment, as have 60 per cent of the Dutch and Belgian public, and 74 per cent of Britishers.

A survey among Member States of the European Union in 1991 identified about 1,400 herbal drugs used in the European Economic Community.

Sensing a lucrative business opportunity, several, including Indian groups, have clambered onto the bandwagon. The Delhi Society for the Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs collaborated with the Global Initiative for Traditional Systems of Health and the Commonwealth Working Group on Traditional and Complementary Health Systems for a two-day conclave in New Delhi two years ago. And next year, in mid-January, the International Holistic Health Association will host the Global Holistic Health Meet in Bangalore.

Evidently, "alternative" is fast acquiring official legitimacy. The World Health Organisation, through its Traditional Medicine Programme, supports member states in their efforts to formulate national policies on traditional medicine.

That is perhaps the direction Kerala ought to turn to now. As ayurveda spas mushroom all over the State, lured by the growth of health tourism, many visitors are taken for a ride by fraudulent "ayurvedic" physicians.

Traditional medicine practices have developed within different cultural and regional contexts. Consequently, there has been no parallel development of standards and methods — either national or international — for evaluating them.

That is a lacuna to be filled. Kerala needs to evaluate and, if necessary, regulate traditional medicine practices, and examine the safety and efficacy of remedies offered. It must also educate and inform the general public about proven traditional health practices.

Myriad issues relating to policy, safety, efficacy, quality, access and rational use of traditional medicine exist. Some of them were discussed at the Kochi conference. Many elude practicable solutions.

If Kerala can tackle these issues sensibly, it can carve out yet another milestone in its track record of development coups.

(Feedback maybe sent to kg@tug.org.in)

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