Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, January 21

The fourth national conference of amchis began today with calls for the government to recognise the alternative medical practitioners and services which is the only recourse for people living in the mountainous regions of Nepal.

Traditional medical services are almost non-existent for over 1.7 million people who live in northern Nepal who have been relying on the ancient Tibetan medical practitioners for centuries.

"The government is aware of the services rendered by amchis where it does not have a presence and it is only fitting that the government recognise these practitioners and provide them with legal validity," said amchi Gyatso Bista, chairman of the Himalayan Amchi Association. Since this form of medicine is dependent on herbs and plants, participants hoped that the government would come up with a policy on cultivation of such plants. Over three dozen amchis attended the ceremony, which is funded largely by the Japan Asia Foundation.

Bista said he was hopeful that the government would allow them to formulate their curriculum and bring the amchi tradition into the mainstream. "Since the government has said that it is in favour of indigenous communities using their mother tongue for primary education, I am hopeful that we can get some policy changes that will favour us."