HEALTHCARE SECTOR | LMD

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Compiled by Yamini Sequeira

APING THE WEST WON’T PAY!

Asoka Hettigoda elaborates on why Sri Lanka ought to cease counting on imports

The World Meals Programme (WFP) says that greater than 80 p.c of Sri Lankan households are consuming low cost or restricted portions of meals and this has raised the danger of malnutrition.

In the meantime, UNICEF has appealed for US$ 25 million to supply humanitarian help to 1.7 million kids in Sri Lanka, lots of whom are liable to dying from malnutrition-related causes. The UN estimates that just about 5.7 million individuals in Sri Lanka, half of them kids, want humanitarian help.

The United Nations kids’s fund provides that just about one in two youngsters in Sri Lanka require some type of emergency help together with diet, healthcare, clear ingesting water, schooling and psychological well being companies.

Ayurveda Ratna Asoka Hettigoda believes that is the best time to press the reset button on how we strategy well being and wellness. We have to apply the brakes on the consumption of imported meals and cease aping Western tradition in a bid to scale back the nation’s reliance on imports, he asserts.

Hettigoda explains: “It is a nice probability to revert to conventional forms of rice, various grains and tubers which are grown with fewer pesticides. The federal government should aggressively promote and reestablish the dominance of native produce. Even when we’re in a position to construct satisfactory overseas reserves, it gained’t be enough as a result of our import invoice is rising yr after yr.”

BACK TO BASICS The necessity of the hour is to develop conventional crops, and improve their high quality and yield for business consumption utilizing fashionable know-how. We should take a look at our natural meals varieties by means of the eyes of foreigners who yearn for therapeutic and immunity boosting meals, he urges.

“We now have suppressed data about pure meals and Ayurveda as a result of vested pursuits in Western medication have sowed doubts concerning the efficacy of conventional medicines, which have handled generations of Sri Lankans through the years,” he expenses.

Hettigoda provides that “within the West, they use coconut oil; and whereas its advantages have been recognized to us for 1000’s of years, different oils are being promoted and imported in the present day.”

Step one in direction of self-sufficiency is to recalibrate the nationwide healthcare funds. Hettigoda notes: “Authorities rules don’t help the native Ayurveda medication manufacturing sector. Solely 5 p.c from the healthcare funds is allotted for Ayurveda whereas 95 p.c is earmarked for Western medicines.”

He maintains that “until you modify that ratio, we’ll proceed to be depending on {dollars} to import medicines.”

“If a minimum of 20 p.c could be allotted to develop the indigenous medicines sector by means of know-how backed investments, Sri Lanka might even turn into a key Ayurveda exporting hub. India earns US$ 500-600 million from the export of Ayurveda medicines and expects to succeed in 400-500 billion {dollars} by 2025. Sri Lanka might do the identical,” Hettigoda urges.

HEALTH CRISIS Commenting on the state of the healthcare sector, he says: “The scenario has turn into dire. The price of medicines has elevated by virtually 300 p.c and isn’t inside the attain of extraordinary individuals.”

“This might result in sufferers not having the ability to afford full and correct dosages. And worse nonetheless, a majority of medicines aren’t accessible due to the dearth of overseas foreign money. The nation is going through an unprecedented scenario,” he warns.

And Hettigoda believes that whereas devising options for the nation to earn extra {dollars} is the primary precedence, additionally it is the necessity of the hour to save lots of {dollars}.

He opines: “The options of accelerating exports and boosting tourism are effectively documented however these is not going to be achieved in a single day. Whereas they’re the obvious selections, we should assume exterior the field and take a look at our assets with a recent perspective. The healthcare sector can also present a big alternative for exporting Ayurveda and naturopathy, which is the craze in Western markets.”

Hettigoda argues that earlier than the British arrived within the island with their Western medicines, Sri Lankans had been solely handled with Ayurveda (Hela Wedakama).

“It’s time that the federal government reverted to classes from historical past and promoted the native manufacture of Ayurvedic medicines, in addition to conventional vegatables and fruits that strengthen the immune system,” he recommends.

What’s extra, Hettigoda reveals that “there’s an area enterprise that’s making jackfruit patties as vegetable burgers and exporting them. However the identical patty shouldn’t be accessible domestically. Why?”

Whereas he notes that it’s vital to soak up world developments, Hettigoda laments the truth that conventional produce akin to moringa and coconut, that are in excessive demand abroad, stay underutilised in Sri Lanka.

He cites the case of India, which has instituted Worldwide Day of Yoga and constructed an trade round this historic follow – and he believes that Sri Lanka can also resurrect its traditions by giving Ayurveda medicines and delicacies a brand new twist to construct self-sufficiency.

LOOKING WITHIN Commenting on a approach out of the financial disaster, he muses: “I feel Sri Lanka has a significant drawback in all sectors as a result of remuneration shouldn’t be primarily based on efficiency.”

“I used to be shocked to listen to that sure state establishments have been granting bonuses even once they didn’t have cash to pay for the following batch of imports. The place on this planet are workers given bonuses when the establishment is shedding cash?” he asks.

Hettigoda continues: “It’s crucial within the quick time period to extend the extent of diet amongst youth, kids and the aged, by selling domestically grown fruits, greens and yams. A wholesome populace may also translate into greater productiveness and fewer absenteeism.”

In the meantime, he believes Sri Lanka has the capability to come back out of any disaster: “Take a look at the pandemic – if you evaluate us with different international locations within the area, we did fairly job. Nonetheless, we might have performed higher and been among the many first international locations to import vaccines.”

And he asserts: “Sri Lanka can also be one of many few international locations on this planet with a practice of treating respiratory illnesses by means of Ayurveda. Nonetheless, the federal government didn’t spotlight conventional strategies although the inhabitants was utilizing Ayurveda treatment to get better from COVID-19 infections.”

In conclusion, Hettigoda feels that we mustn’t slavishly comply with Western developments; and extra importantly, not neglect or exchange traditions which have been handed all the way down to us over generations.

The interviewee is the Chairman of Siddhalepa