We have been curing patients at minimum expenses after they come back home uncured spending a lot of money at various hospitals. Yet, we get no support from the Government," lamented Tularam Chalan, an Ayush doctor of Kotapad block in Koraput district.
Almost toeing Chalan line, Balaram Durua, an Ayurved doctor of Sorispadar village in Boipariguda block said, "Our rain forests are diluted by social forestry and fire wood generating plantations where we were getting natural herbal plants and roots." Mohd Zurrat Azad Khan, another Ayush Doctor of Jeypore Block, lamented that the way of treatment he resorts to and the medicines he prescribes are not yet recognized. These were the findings of a two-day workshop on 'Indigenous Tribal Medicines of Koraput region', organised at the campus of the Council of Analytical Tribal studies (COATS) at Koraput. The workshop was attended by 60 Ayush doctors from Nabarangapur, Narayanpatna, Kotpad, Boipariguda, Jeypore, Kundra, Dasamanthapur, Chandahandi,lamtaput, Semiliguda, Pottangi, laxmipur, lima and different places of Koraput region.
The workshop, which was arranged by ITDA, OTlP and NRHM and COATS was inaugurated by Koraput District Collector Sachin Ramchandra Yadav and was attended by former Collector Godadhar Parida, CDMO Dr Niranjan Dash, Professor Premananda Dash and 56 Ayush doctors of Koraput region.
Medicinal plants and roots were displayed at the venue. The COATS documented on the ethno medicinal knowledge sharing the medicines where Balaram Khara, a senior advocate acted as moderator on dais while the Aurved doctors presented their ways of treatment for diseases like dysentery, arthritis, TB, cancer, skin diseases, paralysis, dog bites and snake bites. What was important in the findings is that the females are yet to take up the profession.
Speaking to media persons, COATS director Dr PC Mohapatra stated that the Government and NGOs have yet to come up to support the sustainability of plants and herbs in the forest.