Around 200 doctors, who teach and provide alternative medical treatments like unani, ayurvedic and homeopathy, were posted to different district and upazila hospitals.
The Health Directorate had issued a gazette notification in this regard on September 1 that said 59 homeopathic, 47 unani and 47 ayurvedic indoor and outdoor officers were given postings. Besides, 40 doctors were posted as lecturers and indoor medical officers at public homeophathic and unani-ayurvedic medical college and hospitals.
The doctors were instructed to join their new offices by September 7.
Dr Gour Moni Sinha, director at Alternative Medical Care (AMC) of the Health Directorate, told the Dhaka Tribune that to boost the quality of Alternative Medical Care (AMC) in the country the Health Ministry had appointed three categories of AMC doctors in the district and upazila hospital.
He also informed that currently 45 district hospitals in the country had only one doctor each to provide AMC services.
Several senior health officials told the Dhaka Tribune that the drugs used for alternative treatments had no side effects and were cost-effective than any other modern treatment methods.
It is learnt that a five-year (2011-2016) long operation plan of the AMC programme has been running under the Health Population and Nutrition Sector Development Programme (HPNSDP) to popularise and create awareness among the general people.
Dr Gour Moni Sinha, meanwhile, mentioned that World Health Organization (WHO) had also recommended alternative health care systems to avoid health risks.
Health Directorate officials said it was decided to provide across the country. Around 15% to 20% patients in 45 districts are currently getting health care from alternative doctors, they claimed.
It was learnt that One of the chief targets set by the government under the National Health Policy 2011 was to upgrade the traditional health care system and education.
Khodadad Khan, an adviser to the Unani Oshud Shilpa Samiti, said traditional medicine was used for treating 24 diseases under primary health care in Bangladesh. More than 82% raw materials of traditional medicine were available inside the country, he added.
He said India, Nepal, China and many other European countries were then relying on traditional medicine for primary health care.
Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub, president of Health Rights Movement Bangladesh, said the alternative doctors were being unable to gain the patients’ trust, although a large number of people had relied on knowledgeable alternatives doctors in the past.
He said alternative treatments could be used for children, but not for emergency care. However, the qualification of the doctors and the quality of medicine should be checked properly, he added.
