Traditional health practitioners demand fulfilment of DMK’s 2021 poll promises

COIMBATORE: Members of the Indian Traditional Practitioners Association staged a protest in front of the district collectorate here on Monday, demanding fulfilment of the promises made by the DMK during the 2021 assembly election.The protesters demanded that the state govt conduct a survey of traditional practitioners and issue them identity cards, protect traditional systems of medicine from extinction and grant B Class or C Class registration through the Tamil Nadu Siddha Medical Council to holders of the central govt’s Traditional Community Health Practitioners certificate. They demanded formation of a welfare board for traditional medical practitioners.The association claimed that 3.5 lakh families in the state depend on traditional medicine for their livelihood and that the community accounts for nearly 15 lakh voters. The protesters warned that if the assurances made in the DMK’s 2021 election manifesto were not implemented, they would consider boycotting the upcoming election or extending support only to parties that back their demands. More than 100 people took part in the protest.