By Phurbu Thinley,
Phayul Correspondent
Dharamsala,December 3: The Central Council of Tibetan Medicine (CCTM) (Tib: Che-thoe-men-pai-lhen-tsog) has organized its second International Conference here. The five-day long conference beginning this 2nd January will go on till the 6th of this month.
The first ever such conference was held in January 2004 when the Council was initially formed in Dharamsala, India.
The Council, as the apex body of all the Traditional Tibetan physicians in Exile, was formed under the ‘Exiled Tibetan Sorig Doctors’ Association Act-2003’ passed during the 13th Assembly of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, and approved by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The Council was formed to find ways to solve varying problems faced by Tibetan physicians.
According to the Council’s website, although traditional Tibetan medicine is today known worldwide for its efficacy against chronic diseases, the Tibetan physicians continue to face a number of difficulties in practicing. Lack of formal recognition of Tibetan medicine and its practitioners worldwide remains one of the biggest obstacles.
“The Council is there to strive to remove these existing difficulties”, notes Dr. Tenzin Loden Governing Member-cum-Office Incharge of the Council. “We continue to put effort to work on a set of goals and objectives formalized by the Council, which are designed to develop standards of recognition for our practicing physicians”, he adds.
Besides, Dr. Loden says that through the Conference, the Council intends to standardise the Tibetan medical profession and take it to its very highest quality oriented level. According to him, the Council is making every attempt to consolidate the whole Tibetan medical community under one roof with a uniform code of recognised standards.
So far, Medical and Astro Institute (TMAI), Dharamsala, Chagpori Medical Institute, Varanasi Medical Institue and Ladhak Medical Institute are four major Tibetan medical centres registered under the Council.
While the initial two days of the ongoing conference are focused on the discourse on medicine by Ven. Khamtrul Rinpoche, the following two days will impart workshops to the Tibetan medico professionals and students.
The final day is reserved for nomination and election of new Executive Council Members of the CCTM, which will serve for a term of three years. The council functions under eight executive council members.
