A Movement To Cure Nepal Through Naturopathy

People all around the world are suffering from major ailments as a result of their hectic lifestyles and improper diets. The number of people using frequent medicine for various conditions is steadily growing. Some people are dependent on medicine for the remainder of their life. Many individuals have wasted all of their resources in the treatment of serious illnesses and were unable to safeguard their lives. Although there are several therapeutic approaches in the world, primarily there are two categories: allopathic and Ayurvedic. Allopathic therapy can be extremely expensive. Major medical conditions can cost millions of rupees to cure. Similarly, Ayurvedic therapy is seen as relatively inexpensive and, in some ways, accessible. Ayurveda uses natural therapeutic methods to identify problems ranging from minor to severe.

Community Nature Cure Hospital is Nepal's first hospital that uses natural approaches to cure patients. Where numerous disorders are treated without medication or surgery. Many people have benefited from the natural hospital in Rajahar, Devchuli Municipality-16, Nawalparasi. The hospital was founded in 2063 BS. Since then, the hospital has served over 50,000 patients, including high-ranking government officials, political party leaders, artists, businesspeople, and other notable figures. According to hospital manager Hari Sapkota, patients who visit the facility for treatment are very satisfied at the time of departure. He stated that many individuals are pleased with the therapy and have contributed in the expansion of the services.

A few weeks ago, the Deputy General Secretary of the CPN (Maoist Center), former Finance Minister Barshaman Pun, and former Speaker Onsari Gharti visited the facility for treatment. He arrived at the hospital in a wheelchair and returned home after two weeks of therapy. Sapkota stated that Pun had sought natural treatment after experiencing trouble walking owing to back discomfort and had healed after the therapy. Not only the Pun couple, but also the Vice President of the Maoist Center, Krishna Mahara, had received medical care in the hospital, he added.

As per Sapkota, persons who require renal dialysis, who are paralyzed due to hypertension and are claimed to have no choice but to undergo surgery, as well as those suffering from a variety of other profound and difficult disorders, have all visited the hospital. He claimed that they had healed following therapy. He also informed that the number of patients has increased dramatically as trust in the institution has grown overtime.

In the hospital, all diseases are treated without the need of medication. The hospital's core slogan is "Food is Medicine, Medicine is Food." Some important methods include eye patches, enemas, soaking feet in hot and cold water, applying hot mud to the painful area, hot hip bath, local steam, steam bath, sauna bath, oil or powder and dry massage of the entire body, waist bandage, chest bandage, foot and hand bandage, water neti, rubber neti, sutra neti, applying mud to any part of the body, cleansing the large intestine, and so on. The hospital assists patients with the five elements of sky, air, fire (sun rays), water, earth (mud), and encourages dietary and lifestyle modifications.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the hospital treated over 800 afflicted patients.
Sapkota claims that all patients who came to the hospital for treatment were saved. That is, the death rate among COVID patients in the hospital remained zero percent. Whereas, hundreds of persons infected with COVID-19 died at major hospitals across the country.

Plans to develop into a teaching hospital
There are plans to develop the hospital into a teaching hospital for naturopathic medicine. Manager Hari Sapkota stated that efforts are being made to establish the country's first teaching hospital for naturopathy. He said that they plan to build a teaching hospital because there is currently no naturopathic education in Nepal. The process of constructing the essential departments for the teaching hospital, as well as the physical infrastructure, including the hostel, has reached its completion stage. The Nepal government has already given the right of occupancy of the 10 bighas of land in the name of the hospital and additional public land around it can also be acquired, he said. He also stated that they have developed a curriculum for a teaching hospital.

Currently, 55 workers work at the 300-bed hospital. Sapkota mentioned that the administration is also optimistic about this. 'The finance minister is ready to present the budget. The health minister is also optimistic, he said. We have demanded a Rs 650 million budget immediately. I hope the government will allocate a sufficient amount of budget.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's attention was also drawn to this a few days ago. Since the expansion and development of this sector is a need of the country, funds for infrastructure construction and expansion were requested in this year's budget.

Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who visited the hospital some days ago, also stated that the Maoist Center would fully support the hospital's development as a naturopathy teaching hospital and university in the near future. Dahal informed that Rs 130 million had been allocated by the federal government during his term as Prime Minister and urged the provincial government to invest more. ‘The hospital, which was started at the local level, has established itself as an important health institution in the country,’ he said. ‘Nepal’s yoga and naturopathic medicine system is providing affordable, accessible and effective services, eliminating the shortcomings seen in the Western medical system.’

The hospital was established with the acquisition of over 6 Acres of public land and the first grant of Rs 2 million from the government. Manager Sapkota stated that arrangements have been made to deliver health care services to 100 persons every day. In addition, provisions have been planned to accommodate around 300 persons each day, including additional assistants.
Separate treatment units have been arranged for women and handicapped patients. According to Sapkota, administrative and other general maintenance and minor physical construction works are currently being carried out with the minimum fee charged from patients. He said that if such institutions and hospitals are developed, the government will be able to support them during any epidemics and disasters that may occur in the future.

The hospital should be expanded nationwide: Prof. Dr. Koirala
Prof. Dr. Kul Prasad Koirala believes that only Ayurveda can cure diseases that allopathic treatments are unable to do. According to him, allopathic doctors cannot effectively treat ailments such as jaundice. He believes that Community Nature Cure Hospital should be spread countrywide. 'Allopathy has also caused various complications. The only way to make a patient well is through naturopathy," he stated. "The hospital should be expanded nationwide. Our predecessors provided us with effective and dependable therapeutic procedures. We, on the other hand, are wandering around like thirsty frogs along the Ganges. Let us do great things by knowing the goods.’ Ayurveda is taught at Nepal Sanskrit University, he says that classes should be started immediately by developing an understanding between that university and the community hospital, he added.

Naturopathy is the desire of the people and the essential need of the nation: Prof. Devi Bhakta DhakalRajahar's community naturopathic hospital is gaining popularity as an alternative form of healthcare. According to Prof. Devi Bhakta Dhakal, naturopathic medicine is now the absolute necessity in Nepal. He believes that the successful operation of the naturopathic medical college should now be implemented through the intended goal of not only researching and teaching natural sciences but also reaching to the university level. Naturopathic treatment has grown as popular alternative as well as an essential national requirement. But it is a harsh reality that there is no means to generate naturopathic physicians or medical workers in the nation and we must rely on India for human resources.

As a result, it is imperative that we begin creating human resources for ourselves in order to make this field self-sufficient, dependable, sustainable, and national, he stated. 'Now, with people's growing interest in naturopathy, it is not viable for the hospital to help individuals who are suffering from chronic ailments across the country. As a result, the country must generate ordinary, medium, and high-level human resources to support the growth of naturopathy throughout the country. He also stated that the framework for establishing a naturopathic teaching hospital is nearly complete.

"As the management committee and the entire community are working hard to fulfill the determination since its establishment to transform the country's first and only natural hospital from a teaching hospital to a university, which has succeeded in creating an environment for the community to mobilize scholars who have retired from the university but are eager to become active. The hospital is creating new history as a place to produce doctors of natural medicine in the near future," he said. "If society and the state support the plan and program to build the country's first college of natural medicine and to make the current hospital the country's first naturopathy teaching hospital, this is also an alternative way to make the country self-reliant and advanced."

Need for government assistance in the establishment of naturopathic hospitals: Hari Sapkota
‘If citizens can get healthier, the country will grow stronger. The practice of spending crores of rupees on medication may be discontinued. If this happens, the state will get stronger as the economy's constructive and positive indications improve,' claimed Hari Sapkota.

'Naturopathy medical institutions and well-managed hospitals existent in about 22 provinces of neighboring India. However, no such system exists in our nation yet. Students face several hurdles when they travel to foreign countries to study. This has to end immediately. He stated that they want to run it as a naturopathic teaching hospital. 'The biggest requirement right now is government backing for the development of naturopathic and yoga hospitals. Aside from surgery, we can help patients with challenging disorders. "However, we believe it is necessary for the government to cooperate with us," he said. "We want this to be a priority in budget and policy formulation."