SHILLONG: The local practitioners of herbal medicines and traditional birth attendants have expressed concern over the State Government’s announcement that as birth deliveries should be conducted in government hospitals.
In a gathering of over 180 Khasi local herbalists, traditional birth attendants and massage therapists held at Mawkyrwat recently, the traditional healers maintained that it was possible only in areas where there were proper motorable all weather roads, whereas most villages in the State are still not approachable by vehicles.
According to traditional healers it was next to impossible to ensure child delivery in villages where no proper roads exist and especially as the poor could not afford to hire an ambulance or other private vehicles to take them to the nearest hospital.
The gathering was organised by the Society for Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge and Practice (SPIKAP).
Speaking on the occasion, John F Kharshiing stated that the KHADC Khasi Traditional Medicine Bill 2011 would have multiple impacts such as improving the economic livelihood of the people, including activating local herbal health tourism in the State.
According to Kharshiing, the SPIKAP and MLCU University had applied for documentation and mapping of Local Health Traditions in Meghalaya.
In 2008, the Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health, sanctioned the project for only one block out of the 39 C&RD blocks in the state.
“Seeing the positive reports, vital data and activities of the Pynursla project the Central Government has recently sanctioned MLCU University an amount of Rs 79 lakhs approximately from Department of Biotechnology for identification and mapping of medicinal plants used in the traditional medicine systems of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo tribes of Meghalaya,” he added.
The gathering also urged the State Government to expedite the passage of the KHADC Bill 2011.