Samagra urges govt to set up medical university

Thiruvananthapuram-based Samagra, a holistic health promotion council, has appealed to the Kerala government to set up a medical university, incorporating all medical systems recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"The WHO defines health as a state of physical, mental, spiritual, social and economic well being of a person. Unfortunately, our physicians, instead of concentrating on healing, are busy becoming skilled practitioners of treatment for cure rather than prevention. It has been noted that practitioners of different systems of medicine are competing for dominance, leading to increased expenditures for individuals and the state, leaving the healthcare needs of the people unaddressed," P K Jayarus, co-president, and L Pankajakshan, general secretary of Samagra, said.

Traditional herbal medicinal knowledge available with indigenous people such as adivasis and dalits, and other alternative systems like sidha, nature cure, acupressure, and acupuncture can be brought under one umbrella, they said.