Indigenous medicine goes overseas

Nimal Wijesinghe Anuradhapura Additional district group correspondent

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is very keen on propagating the traditional indigenous medicine in overseas countries. Such a move would raise the prestige of our native physicians and empower their livelihood, said the Indigenous Medicine Minister Tissa Karalliyadda.

Explaining the present position of the extension program the Minister said that already initial arrangements have been made at the embassy level to exchange know how in the field of indigenous medicine among Sri Lanka, Cuba, Korea, Italy and several European countries by the Indigenous Medicine Ministry.

The Minister said there will be a well-equipped Indigenous medical research unit for Indigenous doctors both local and foreign to engage in research work at the Mihintale Ayurvedic hospital which is coming up, now in Mihintale historic city.

He said recently Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Cuba held a round of discussions with me and the ways and means for the exchange of native doctors and indigenous medicine between two countries were discussed. Also Sri Lanka's Korean Ambassador held discussions with me regarding propagating native medicine in Korea and vice versa.