Experts of acupuncture and stem cell treatment have called upon the government to recognise and introduce acupuncture and stem cell treatment in public sector hospitals, which will help share the burden of diseases in the country.

“The acupuncture is an established mode of treatment in the world and is recognised for the treatment of 243 diseases as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO),” the experts informed while addressing a seminar on “Prevention, Control and Treatment of Diseases – Importance of Acupuncture and Stem Cell Therapy” organised by Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman Memorial Society (Jang Group of Newspapers) in collaboration with Iffat Anwar Medical Complex here at a local hotel the other day.

Dr Shahzad Anwar, CEO Iffat Anwar Medical Complex, said that there were two categories, medical acupuncture and traditional acupuncture, which have been recognised by WHO and recommended for treatment of 243 diseases. He informed that acupuncture treatment is done through needle pricking in different parts of the body, adding that it was a safe treatment as disposable needles were used in the treatment.

About stem cell therapy, he said that cells of the sick person were replaced by the cells of a healthy person through a specific method, which helped recover the sick patient.

“The stem cell therapy is raising the study of genetics,” he said, and urged the government to constitute code of conduct for acupuncturists and experts of stem cell therapy.

Dr Zulfiqar said that the acupuncturists were not registered in Pakistan, whereas there was no system of verification of degrees of those who acquired acupuncture qualifications from abroad. He urged the government to recognise and support the education of acupuncture and stem cell therapy and ensure formal introduction of these two modes of treatment in hospitals to help provide treatment to the patients.

“It is not only cheap mode of treatment but doesn’t have any side-effects as well,” he added.

Punjab Minister for Religious Affairs and Auqaf Ata Muhammad Manika lamented that there was comprehensive and compact educational system in Pakistan to teach and train students about new and latest methods of treatment. He called for creating awareness among the public about diseases and latest modes of treatment besides the ways of prevention and control of diseases.

“Such seminars on health issues are a great source of awareness for the people,” he added.

Ch Amjad Javed, MPA and a member of Health Committee, said acupuncture was similar to traditional ways of treatment, which were used in villages for the treatment of sick persons.

“If these traditional methods can be used in a scientific manner, then they can be of big step towards treatment of the patients,” he said, adding that they would convey the message to the government to implement them in the public sector hospitals.

Dr Inderjeet Singh, President of Acupuncture Society of India, expressed his desire to work with the acupuncture specialists of South East Asian countries and share their knowledge with each other.

He said a full-fledged hospital of acupuncture had been established in India, adding that acupuncture treatment helped a great deal in eradicating polio disease in India. “We wish to work with acupuncturists of Pakistan as it can help in cure of sugar, blood pressure, cancer and AIDS,” he added.

Brig (retd) Saleem, Professor of Anaesthesia, Railway Hospital, Rawalpindi, said Ministry of Health, in a recent meeting, had also deliberated to introduce acupuncture as a recognised mode of treatment, which had already been used for the treatment of patients in several countries of the world. “The sole Acupuncture Centre in public sector is established in Poly Clinic Islamabad, but post of its head was still lying vacant,” he added.

He appealed to the federal and provincial governments to recognise acupuncture and stem cell therapy and introduce them in medical institutions and as a specialised mode of treatment in hospitals in the country.

Besides, Dr Sukhvinder Singh, Saleem Akhtar, Abdul Wakeel Khan, Dr R K Taly, Dr Sajid Qayyum and Dr Ahmad Bhatti spoke on the occasion. MKRMS Chairman Wasif Nagi conducted the seminar. Later, a question and answer session was also held in which experts responded to the specific questions from the members of the audience.

From MKRMS Seminar, LAHORE Apr. 26, 2016