Suresh Nair
AYURVEDIC practice will get a shot-in-the-arm this week with Singapore hosting an international conference on the ancient system of healing and one of India’s unique contributions to the world.
The June 21 meeting will further showcase that Ayurveda is more than just a medical system. It contains comprehensive knowledge of healing of various diseases and organised time-tested regimen for leading a healthy lifestyle.
And it will bring to focus that Singapore has a good number of qualified practitioners of Ayurveda who have teamed up to develop and establish a well-structured, regularised and legalised system of Ayurvedic practice in Singapore similar to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice.
Dr Ravee Indusekhar, President of Ayurvedic Practitioners Association of Singapore, says: “This upcoming event, a gathering of noted qualified doctors from both the Government and established private sectors in India and Ayurvedic practitioners from Singapore and Malaysia, will be one to uniquely address the health needs of the Singapore community in terms of integrated care, geriatric care, rehabilitation and palliative care, and prevention and management of life style disorders.”
The conference at the Orchard Hotel will highlight successful integrated approaches with Ayurvedic herbal medicine and modern medical concepts.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Social and Family Development, Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim will inaugurate the event and Mr Murali Pillai (Member of Parliament for Bukit Batok) will deliver a special address. India High Commissioner, Singapore, Mr Jawed Ashraf, will deliver the welcome address and Dr Goh Cheng Soon, Director , TCM Division, Ministry of Health, Malaysia will be the keynote speaker at the conference.
“There is immense potential of promoting ayurvedic medicines around the world. And this conference will further set that tone for putting Ayurveda, with Singapore playing a lead role, on the global map,” said Dr Inusekhar, a graduate in BAMS (Bachelor in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) from the University of Kerala.
He is currently running and managing two Ayurvedic centres in Singapore and Malaysia – Ayurpharm International in Yishun and Asian Ayurvedic Centre in Johor Baru, Malaysia. He is also the Regional Coordinator for the World Ayurvedic Congress.
Going to the roots, he says Ayurveda is a traditional healing system of India, going back at least to the Vedic times. “It is amongst the oldest and most elaborate forms of traditional medicine in the world. It needs to be seen as not just a system of disease treatment but a system of positive health for disease prevention and balanced lifestyle,” he adds.
HOLISTIC HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
He is confident that with proper development and study of the traditional methods and substance using the tools available now from modern science, the traditional medical systems, including Ayurveda, can become an important and affordable part of a holistic healthcare system.
“As traditional medical systems, including Yoga and Ayurveda are being adopted worldwide, Singapore and the Asean countries can develop principles and standardised practices to make sure that this adaptation is systemic and true to the authentic traditions of these disciplines,” he says.
He notes that in Singapore, there are over 250,000 people already using the traditional Made-in-India herbal medicines. He adds: “We have 34 Ayurvedic practitoners and 14 clinics, each on average serving 5,000 new patients a year here.”
Dr Indusekhar points out that during Prime Minister of India Mr Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore in November 2015, a bilateral decision was taken to hold a seminar to promote Ayurveda in Singapore.
Inspired by the success of last year’s event in terms of public participation, the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, the High Commission of India, Singapore and APAS (Ayurvedic Practitioners Association Singapore) are jointly organising the second International Conference on Ayurveda.
The Conference will be open to pre-registered public on June 21 2017 (9am – 6 pm). Registration is free.