LNP – Govt. to expedite use of Ayurvedic hospital system to manage COVID-19

The Government has decided to expedite the use of the Ayurvedic hospital system to manage the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

State Minister of Primary Healthcare, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle and State Minister of Indigenous Medicine Promotion, Rural and Ayurveda Hospitals Development and Community Health Sisira Jayakody held a crucial discussion yesterday in this regard.

Health Services Director General Dr. Asela Gunawardena and other officials of the Ministry of Health and Ayurvedic physicians took several important decisions during this discussion.

The discussion was based on the positive feedback received to a query made by State Minister Dr. Fernandopulle from State Minister of Indigenous Medicine Sisira Jayakody on the possibility of using Ayurvedic hospitals as intermediate care centres for COVID patients.

State Minister Dr. Fernandopulle’s proposal was agreed in principle and at this moment the need for Ayurvedic and Western medical services to work together to control COVID disease was discussed.

Dr. Fernandopulle pointed out the importance of making decisions without prejudice to the patients and instructed the two parties to work out a methodology for working together.

It was agreed to use the Ayurvedic hospitals as intermediate care centres primarily under the supervision of the Ministry of Health.

The two State Ministries agreed to provide basic training to Ayurvedic medical staff on handling COVID patients, to maintain Ayurvedic intermediate treatment centres under the supervision of a medical officer under the Ministry of Health and to provide the basic facilities required for the control of COVID.

The treatments at these centres were also discussed at the meeting and it was also proposed to facilitate the patient to obtain Ayurvedic or Western treatment at the patient’s discretion.

State Minister Dr. Fernandopulle instructed the Director General of Health to issue a series of special instructions to streamline this process. The Minister also requested that necessary arrangements be made to provide Ayurvedic hospitals covering all districts.

To expedite this process, it was proposed to organise the relevant activities within a week by a five-member committee comprising the two Secretaries of the two State Ministries.

State Minister Sisira Jayakody noted that there are about 2,000 doctors in the Ayurvedic hospital system which has an efficient nursing staff and expressed appreciation for proposing to use their services for the suppression of COVID.