1. Dr. Danister L. Perera Registrar Ayurvedic Medical Council Sri Lanka
Status of Using Indigenous Knowledge in Management of HIV / AIDS in Sri Lanka
Dr. Danister L. Perera
Registrar
Ayurvedic Medical Council
Sri Lanka

2. IK in Healthcare in Sri Lanka
We are the only country having a separate ministry for Indigenous Medicine
Ministry of Indigenous Medcine
Department of Ayurveda
BMARI
NITM
Teaching Hospitals
Herbal Gardens
Sri Lanka Ayurveda Drugs Corporation
Ministry of Higher Education
University Institutes of Ayurveda / Siddha / Unani
Provincial Ministries
Provincial Department of Ayurveda
District Hospitals
Rural Hospitals
Central Dispensaries
DLC Sri Lanka

3. Sri Lankan Indigenous Knowledgebase
Total number of traditional practitioners is 11647
41% (4869) is General Practitioners
59% (6778) is Special or Unisectional
68% of total (17038) registered Ayurvedic practitioners is Traditional Practitioners
There are another thousand of local healers unregistered at village level
DLC Sri Lanka

4. AIDS as a Disease Entity in IK
Low immunity
Neurological impairments
Digestive and metabolic ailments
Impairments with memory
Rapid degenerative process
Enhancement of cancerous conditions
Low libido and strength of virility
Microcirculatory impairments
Displacement of astral body
DLC Sri Lanka

5. IK Aspects of Management of AIDS
Biophysical
Psychological
Astrological / Cosmological
Religious / Spiritual
Cultural
DLC Sri Lanka

6. IK in HIV / AIDS Management
IK Involvements in HIV/ AIDS
State
Private
Human Resource Development 00
Research
Publications 04
Curative Interventions 08
Seminars / Presentations 06
Product Development 01
National Level Proposals
DLC Sri Lanka

7. Contribution of IK Practitioners
Number IKPs of reported to be involving in management of HIV / AIDS is very few
During last 10 years there were several paper advertisements claming to cure AIDS
Three of them were found to be quacks
One is amazingly found to be lunatic
I have personally interviewed five of these
Three were found to be very much knowledgeable on the subject and seemed to have experimental approach
They claimed that HIV / AIDS can be cured or controlled
DLC Sri Lanka

8. Benefits of Using IK in HIV / AIDS
Enhancement of quality of life
Pacifying day-to-day health problems
Controlling symptoms of AIDS
Lowering the rate of spread HIV
Improvements of natural immunity
Psycho-spiritual harmony
Encountering the side effects and complications of drug therapies
Complementing the conventional therapy
DLC Sri Lanka

9. An Innovative Case Study
A hepatitis B case was reported be having HIV positive
Cause of HIV is diagnosed as hepatitis B
It is concluded that hepatitis B sometimes can be transformed to HIV
He claimed that based on that conclusion the case was successfully treated
No scientific evidence is traced for HIV negative
DLC Sri Lanka

10. Role in National Health System
National Policy on ISM
Quality Care & Efficacy
Plurality in System
Role in National Health System
Diversity in
Knowledge
Mainstreaming
Best Practices
DLC Sri Lanka 3

11. Problems and Issues Lack of a national model for healthcare
Constrains in updating and upgrading of TM sector
Low recognition of role of TM in ongoing interventions
Lack of research and development relating to HIV / AIDS management through IK
No encouragement for private sector IKPs for promoting their treatments
Benefits of IK is not discussed in national level fora
No systematic review or documentation is done on existing data related to this area
Lack of financial support from donor agencies
DLC Sri Lanka

12. Some problems raised by IKPs
Legal constrains
Lack of linkage with national level research programmes
Scarcity of essential medicines / herbs
Lack of financial support
Inadequacy of conventional evaluating criteria in treatment results
Social barriers created by NGOs
Lack of cases
DLC Sri Lanka

13. Future and Suggestions
Human resource development
Research with IK practitioners
Pharmaceutical interventions
Ethnomedical database
Dialogues among stakeholders
Policy and legal reforms
Sharing best practices
DLC Sri Lanka