A three-day national-level conference and 14th State-level conference of traditional medicine practitioners will be held at Srikshetra Adi Chunchanagiri in Mandya district from October 26.
Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Tuesday, Dharwad district convenor of Paramparik Vaidya Parishat Sangayyaswami Antinamath said that over 3,000 practitioners of traditional or native medicine will participate in the national conference, which is being held in association with Adi Chunchanagiri Mahasamsthana Mutt.
Mr. Antinamath said that while around 2,500 traditional medicine practitioners from across the State will be participating in the conference, over 500 delegates from the States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh are expected to come.
On October 26, the inaugural programme will be held in the presence of Sri Nirmalananda Swami of Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt. Honorary president of Paramparik Vaidya Parishat Prasannanath Swami and Sri Madara Channayya Swami will participate, while president of the parishat G. Mahadevayya will preside over it.
Mr. Antinamath said that Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao will inaugurate the conference, while Agriculture Minister N. Chaluvarayaswamy and various elected representatives will participate as guests of honour.
Technical sessions
He said that there will be paper presentations by over 60 experts on various topics. During the technical sessions, various issues, including epidemics, fever, diabetes, arthritis, skin diseases, women’s health issues, and veterinary diseases will be deliberated upon.
He said that five achievers in the field of traditional medicine will be felicitated during the conference. An award carrying a purse of ₹10,000 and an idol of Lord Dhanwantari will be presented to the achievers.
Another convenor Savita N.S. emphasised the need for more support from the government for preservation and continuation of traditional medicine systems. She urged the government to start a diploma course in traditional or native medicine and allot land for cultivation of medicinal plants.
Jyothi Joshi spoke about the programmes being conducted by the parishat and said that a Mane Maddu (Home Medicine) programme is being conducted at various educational institutions and mahila mandals.
