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There is a rich
knowledge and resource-base with rural and tribal communities with
respect to health and healing. However, there is a declining trend
due to erosion of culture, knowledge and resource base. This erosion
is because of the lack of active movement at community level, lack
of state patronage, negative influence of Western medical practice
and declining social structure.
A documentation and
rapid assessment of Local Health Traditions (DALHT) methodology has
been developed by FRLHT for supporting local knowledge and resource
applications which help self-reliance in primary health care.
Household and community health practices are diverse and they vary
across the different regions of the country. They form a very
important aspect of the Indian medical heritage. Women are
significant carriers of this heritage. Revitalization of these
health traditions and practices can ensure health security to
millions of rural and urban households.
In order to revitalise these practices, it is essential first to
document and next to assess them, so that sound practices can be
actively promoted and distorted ones weeded out.
FRLHT has facilitated the building of several district level
resource centres in southern India and has conducted exchange
programmes through networking and workshops. These resource centres
have helped to establish kitchen herbal gardens, and income
generation programmes via self-help groups to encourage the
continued use of best health traditions.
Ongoing programmes:
Upscaling the activities of documentation and rapid assessment of
local health traditions through regional trainers training
programmes on DALHT for GO/NGO/ Institutions / Community-Based
Organization (CBO) (Government- initiated and others) Peoples
movements.
Training of trainers on the Documentation of Local Health Traditions
based on Module 1 and 2, Rapid Assessment of Local Health
Traditions.
Translation of the tools for documentation into other languages such
as Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Oriya, Telgu, Gujrathi and Marathi.
Identifying partners and planning for long-term association on
capacity- building in 10 states. (Nodal Centers).
Working on plans for effective networking (both internal and
external).
Strengthening the team with additional-need-based short-term
fellows.
Continuing feedback mechanism on training, Rapid Assessment of Local
Health Tradition (RALHT) back-up and related research.
Creating a referral
database for assessment of LHTs
Improvement of the Version-4 of training module to include more
examples from northern parts of India.
Future plans:
Research to support the training programme and to add on to the
insights towards local health traditions enabling the organization
to facilitate suitable plans/advocacy for the RALHT programme.
Communicate regularly to the public on the relevance and need for
the revitalization.
Support the Rapid Assessment of Local Health Traditions.
Other short-term researches such as reasons for erosion of local
health traditions and spiritual aspects of local health tradition.
Strengthen database for the Rapid Assessment of Local Health
Traditions.
Support policy studies.
Rapid Participatory Clinical Studies on Selected Local Health
Traditions
Impact Assessment of the Programmes, Periodical.
Incorporation of the insights to the training of DALHT.
Collect health profiles in regions and states in the country.
Analyze national health policy and those of the different States.
Understand/drawbacks existing IPR regimes for protecting
traditional knowledge and help formulate an operational guideline
for the organization and also to feed into the training programme.
Upscale the DALHT activities in the country through promotion of
the methodology.
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