The Sowa-Rigpa and Allopathy Integration Meeting was held on 27 September 2019, at CTA’s Department of Health’s conference hall.
The theme of the meeting was “Objectives behind Integration”, where the health professionals discussed and collaborated on how the two fields of medicine can integrate, which diseases they will combat together, and the administrative perspective on Sowa-Rigpa and allopathy integration.
The meeting was organized by the Department of Health, CTA. The moderator of the gathering was Dr. Tsetan Sadutshang of Delek Hospital. Participants included Palden Dhondup (Health Secretary), Jampa Phuntsok (Additional Secretary), Tsering Youdon (Joint Secretary), Director Tsering Tashi and Dr. T. Tamding from Mentseekhang along with three senior doctors from the organization, two doctors from Delek Hospital, six doctors from different DoH branch facilities, and Dr. Tsering Tsamchoe who will be coordinating the traditional and allopathic collaboration.
Health Kalon, Choekyong Wangchuk, opened the meeting with an introduction and welcomed the participants. He emphasized the importance of lifting tradition Tibetan medicine (Sowa-Rigpa) in international platform, as well as the importance of both fields of medicine working together with the patient’s best interest in mind.
The participants deliberated on how Sowa-Rigpa and allopathic medicine can integrate, the specific diseases they will treat together, and the integration of the two medicines in an administrative perspective. They had progressive discussions about how the guidelines should be formulated based on the subthemes.
Ultimately, a final draft of the integration guidelines was formed by all 18 participants. To conclude the Sowa-Rigpa & Allopathy Integration Meeting, Health Secretary, Palden Dhondup gave the closing statement by explaining that, “It is never too early or too late to collaborate between the traditional and allopathic medical fields. Looking into the future, we will continue to work towards collaborative work between allopathy and Sowa-Rigpa to improve the health and well-being of our patients and communities”.
-Filed by Department of Health