Access to health remains poor due to lack of adequate and inept ways in which the primary health centers’ and other local health institutions are run. The outreach and track record of allopathic health care promoted by the government has been dismal. The challenge has been to develop alternate modes of health care which is based on the traditional knowledge of adivasi communities which is accessible and cost effective. Hence, our efforts have been to empower, revitalize and develop sustainable ways through which herbal based health care can be promoted. The issues that we are addressing relate to the popularization of traditional knowledge for effectiveness and outreach of health services, attitudinal change in the community to herbal based medicines and the standardization of herbal based medicines for common diseases.

Since 1993-1994 we started investigating into the viability of traditional medicinal knowledge systems within the community and its legitimacy in the region. What began as a process to study and revitalize traditional knowledge systems has developed into our Alternative Health Care Unit. In this unit we have developed a set of processes that ensures safe, effective and affordable health care within the adivasi community based on traditional health practices involving traditional health practitioners (vaidus) and trained community health workers.

VANANTHARAM

A significant outcome of the Herbal Based Health Care involvement is the construction of a Health Centre (Vanantharam) in an adivasi region. The idea behind the establishment of this entity was to lend visibility to traditional adivasi medicine whose legitimacy in practice was being questioned by the mainstream so called modern medicinal system. The purpose was also to bolster the confidence and credibility of existing Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs), besides creating space for young men and women interested in practicing herbal medicine to acquire value added skills to function as community health workers.

OUT REACH

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REGULAR HEALTH CAMPS (RHC)

Regular Health Camps are organized at the weekly market (shandy market) where there is a regular gathering of the local community. Located in a small hut/stall the Community Health Practitioners (CHPs) offer medical advice and treatment through herbal medicine.

COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRES (CHC)

Health Centres are located in the village where they serve as nodal health centres f or villages nearby run by CHPs.

TRADITIONAL HEALING CENTRES (THC)

These centres operate in the same manner as the Community Health centres, except that they are run by Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs) who are members of the THP Federation.

TRADITIONAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS NETWORK

Two Traditional health Practitioners Networks of the same name Advivasi Sampradya Mulika Vydya Sangham were formed: one in E.G and the other in Visakhapatnam district. The E.G consists of 130 members and is registered under the Societies Registration Act. The network in Visakhapatnam consists of 80 members and is yet to be registered. The two networks are involved in campaigns to protect endangered herbal species as well as to create awareness of particular epidemic diseases such as malaria, typhoid, cholera etc. As a part of this campaign they are also involved in creating awareness on endangered species to prevent outside forces from indiscriminately acquiring these species from the local community. The members of the networks also conduct curative health camps collectively to exchange and build on their knowledge of herbal plants and their medicinal use.

CAPACITY BUILDING

To expand the outreach of traditional health practices the Herbal Based Health Care unit has initiated training programmes with THPs to build on their existing knowledge. We have been working with them to upgrade their knowledge as well as address issues that arise during their practice. Young men and women who are interested in herbal medicine have also been inducted in a training process spanning over 10 months.

HERBAL GARDENS

Two mother herbal gardens are operative with more than 130 disappearing and endangered medicinal plants. In addition 10 community herbal gardens have been established with about 30 medicinal plant species each. These gardens (particularly mother gardens) apart from conserving particular species of medicinal plants also serve as aids in the learning processes being carried out at Vanantharam and other community health centres. The community herbal gardens, nurtured by the community serve as a local source of medicine for common ailments.

DOCUMENTATION

AHC has conducted intensive interviews with 110 traditional health practitioners to document traditional health knowledge and practice. 250 medicinal plants and information related to their use in herbal medicine has been documented. A herbarium has also been organized in Vanantharam. This information is being utilized in framing the curriculum of the CHPs as well as in developing training aids.