|
Public Health and Medical Facilities
The Kanyakumari district has
contributed much in the field of Medicine. The district is
endowed by nature with several hills and mountains with rich
herbs of medicinal value and minerals. Maruthuvamalai, a
hill in the district located near Kanyakumari, literally
means medicinal hill, is referred to by Therapeutacs (Buddha
Bikshus) who belonged to the period of Emperor Asoka, as
having medical and spiritual heritage. According to the
tradition that the hill was a piece of the mountain Gandha
Madhana dropped here while the mountain was carried by
Hanuman to Lanka during the epic war between Rama and Ravana.
Rare medicinal herbs are available here in abundance.
Sage Agasthiya, the first
grammarian of good old Tamil was also the foremost of the
Siddhars. (The practitioners of herbal medicines). This
sage is believed to have lived in this land’s end and there
is also a village by name Agasteeswaram near
Maruthuvamalai which owes its name to the dwarf sage.
In this village, there is a temple dedicated to
Agasteeswaramudaiyar which is believed to have been
consecrated by Agasthiya himself. Besides medicine and
grammar, Agasthiya was also adept in Varma Sastra. General
palm leaf records like ‘Varmani’ and Varma Sastra were
written by Agasthiya. Even today, this healing art of
varmam treatment is taught in Kanyakumari in the Guru-Sishya
tradition, and treatment is also done by elders who are
quite conversant with this method of treatment by applying
Tamil medicines in required proportion. This method of
treatment has proved successful in several cases.
Kanyakumari played an
important role in the international medical field, even
before the Christian era. In Charaka Samhita, we come
across a meeting. So to say, the first International
Medical Conference was held in 1000 B.C. on the slopes of
the Great Himalayas, where 53 sages took part in the
deliberations of devising ways and means to bring out
Trisutra (three kinds of knowledge pertaining to Indian
Medical Science) Viz., Hetu Sutra (Etimology), Viyadhi Sutra
(Pathology) and Aushada Sutra (Pharmacology). A chapter of
the book Samhita gives a list of participants of the World
Meet. This Meet was presided by Bharadvaja, and the Sage
Agasthiya, represented South India. Agasthiya delivered a
key note address on Astanga (Octopartite) which includes
General Medicine (Kaya) Peadiatrics (Bala) Hysteria (Graha)
ENT (Urthunga) Surgery (Salya) Toxicology (Visha) and
treatment for Virility (Resagine).
From the period of Agasthiya
to the present day, the Siddha system of treatment has been
preserved carefully by the people of Kanyakumari. The
growth of allopathic system of medicine in Kanyakumari
district is also an interesting one. The early Protestant
Christian Missionaries were considered pioneer in the field
of allopathic medicine of the district . By establishing a
hospital at Nagercoil, the London Mission Society (LMS)
known as Church of South India (CSI) has laid the foundation
for the modern allopathic system of practice in the district
as early as 1838. The district owes much of its present
position and importance, to the efforts of the Missionaries
in the field of medicine. The allopathic system, introduced
by the British was adopted as a State system of relief in
due course.
From the beginning, the
European system of medicine had to meet organized opposition
of the indigenous school of treatment. Despite this
opposition, the London Missionary Society established a
hospital at Neyyoor in 1830 and began its services. Another
milestone in the medical history of Kanyakumari district was
the establishment of the Salvation Army’s “Catherine Booth
Hospital”, (1892) at Vadasery in Nagercoil. Another native system i.e., Chintamani, which formed part of ayurvedic science was also prevalent in the district. This system describes the means of ascertaining diseases by the examination of the pulse. Since this system needed more care in the preparation of the mineral drugs, the number of patients was very limited. Government Kanyakumari Medical College has been functioning since 20-03-2007 at Asaripallam. A new Government Ayurveda Medical College has been announced to be started at Kottar shortly by the State Government.
PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES RENDERED BY ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS
Source: Dy. Director of Health Services , Nagercoil.
I. GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS
PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRES
SIDDHA WING
AYURVEDA DISPENSARY
HOMOEOPATHY WING
(Source: Office of the Joint Director of Health Services, Nagercoil.)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||