Patent For Traditional Indian System Of Therapeutic Practices

There are some NGOs in some foreign countries engaged in activities relating to teaching of Ayurveda and running of Ayurveda & Panchkarma centres. Department of AYUSH also deputes Ayurvedic experts to conduct orientation courses in Ayurveda in medical colleges and undertakes other IEC activities for popularizing Ayurveda in other countries. An International Ayurveda Conference was held in Budapest, Hungary in collaboration with Indian Embassy and a local NGO in September, 2007.

First International Conclave of Traditional Medicine was held by Department of AYUSH in November, 2006 at New Delhi and an International Meet of Traditional Medicine Regulators and Industry was held at New Delhi on the sidelines of AROGYA-2007 in October, 2007.

India Creating a Vast Digital Database on Ayurveda
Indian authorities have been collating information about hundreds of thousands of plants, cures, foods and even yoga poses to create a vast digital database of traditional knowledge

Patents cannot be legally granted on Traditional Indian Systems of medicine, which are ‘Prior Art’. Department of AYUSH in collaboration with Council for Scientific & Industrial Research have created a Traditional Knowledge Digital Library in five International languages on the basis of classical texts to prevent misappropriation of Traditional Indian Medicinal knowledge.

Ayurveda is a holistic health care system comprising of preventive, promotive and curative treatment protocols, which may vary from individual based on the Prakruti of the individual. However, Government of India have established Central Council for Research in Ayurveda & Siddha for standardization and scientific validation of various Ayurvedic medicines and drugless therapies like Panchkarma and Ksharsutra.

Scientific validation of 8 most widely used herbo mineral preparations and development of R&D based drugs based on classical texts has also been undertaken under the Golden Triangle Partnership initiative launched by Department of AYUSH in collaboration with Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the Indian Council of Medical Research. In addition, Extra Mural Research projects are also given to reputed researchers and institutions for standardization and scientific validation of traditional medicines and drugless therapies.

A proposal for setting up an international Institute of Ayurvedic Medical Sciences in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala at a total cost of Rs.101.60 crores was received from the Government of Kerala in 2004. Government of Kerala was informed that the Department of AYUSH did not have any scheme under which financial support could be extended to the proposed project.

However, financial assistance has been provided to Government Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram under the scheme of Development of Institutions in the 10th Plan. The State Government can obtain assistance in the 11th Plan also for upgradation of this college as a Centre of Excellence in Ayurveda.

This information was given by the Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

Source-PIB
LIN/P