Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, India

Mon, Aug 2, 2010, 12:40 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Aug 01, Kandy: Planting an herbal plant called "Ashoka" at the President's House in Kandy, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa today inaugurated the National Ayurvedic Week from Aug 01 -07 to promote the ayurvedic medicines among the Sri Lankan public. During the week several awareness programmes will be carried out to promote the traditional ayurvedic medicines and cultivation of herbal plants among the general public, the President's Media Unit announced.

The Ministry of Indigenous Medicine has successfully implemented the "Hela Weda Gedara" programme to facilitate indigenous doctors. The Ministry will also take measures to introduce better health practices in ayurvedic medical system during the week, the President's Media Unit said.

Daily Mirror, Colombo, Mon, Aug 2, 2010, 00:00 hrs

The week between August 1 and 7 will be declared the ‘National Ayurveda Week’ with the objective of ensuring the resurgence of the Indigenous Medical System sequel to the announcement of 2010 as the Ayurveda Year, an Information Department said in a statement. The declaration was deemed the first step towards the emergence of a new approach in popularizing the ‘Indigenous Medical System’, and the building of public opinion, Minister Piyasena Gamage said at a media conference held at Mihilaka in the BMICH premises recently.

The Ministry requests the public to clean all home gardens and plant a medicinal plant. Minister added that steps would be taken to amend the Ayurveda act in a way that would be beneficial to the country and provide facilities for farmers to minimize the import of raw materials for drug manufacture. The Ministry also proposes to include in the school curriculum the identification of indigenous medicinal plants as a subject and to create medicine parks in schools.

Ministry further proposes to develop the ‘Siddha Medical System’ of Jaffna under the ‘Indigenous Medical System’. Minister Piyasena Gamage and the Deputy Minister Pandu Bandarnayake accompanied by officials visited Jaffna to explore the possibility of expanding the ‘Siddha Medical System’ the ministry statement said.