Scope of Ayurvedic Medicine in Pneumonia Patients Visiting Govt. Hospitals in Bangladesh: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science and is often called the ‘Mother of all healing’. In this sub-continent, it is one of the ancient health care systems. Nowadays, it is practiced by millions of people in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Tibet, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In response to the urge of public demand and to achieve the goals of primary health care, the Government of Bangladesh has appointed and posted numbers of Ayurvedic doctors all over Bangladesh. It was due to assay the impact of these recruitments in primary health care as well as in national health services. Aiming this a cross-sectional study was designed to conduct within randomly selected twenty-two centers, approximately covering 35% of each administrative division. This study revealed that roughly 12% of total visiting patients seeking Ayurvedic health service, and among them 7.26% of patients were <5 years old children. A calculative 14.20%, children were suffering from Respiratory Tract Infection (RTI), and of these RTI patients, 42.77% were diagnosed as pneumonia. Bashakarist, Chandramrita rasa, Shwas Kuthar rasa, and Talishadi Churna were prescribed invariably to manage RTIs and pneumonia. This study revealed with such limited manpower of Ayurvedic medical service, it is helping significantly in securing primary health care goals set by the government. The inclusion of more qualified manpower and engaging them in effective training may help the government to conquer the zenith of success in national health services.