Siddha in India: education, research and practice in Tamil Nadu

This article uses the Ministry of Ayush's 2024 statistics and its research council's website to explain who teaches Siddha, who studies it, where it is practised and what the numbers mean for a patient. All figures are for the dates stated by the Ministry.

1. Introduction

Ayush is the Government of India's name for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy. The Ministry's 2024 report covers institutions, education, research and drug standards for these systems ^[1]. For Siddha, it shows that 94.4 percent of dispensaries are in Tamil Nadu.

2. Education: the National Institute of Siddha and the colleges

The National Institute of Siddha (NIS) in Chennai is an autonomous institution under the Ministry. It was inaugurated on 3 September 2005. Its stated mandates include undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral education, research and patient care ^[1].

As on 1 April 2024, the Ministry reports ^[1]:

• 17 undergraduate Siddha colleges, with a combined admission capacity of 1,130 students.
• 3 postgraduate Siddha colleges, with 177 places.

The Ministry also explains that a national commission, the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), set up under a 2020 Act, aims to improve the quality and functioning of colleges, facilitates a medical register of the Indian systems of medicine and enforces high ethical standards ^[1].

3. Research: the Central Council for Research in Siddha

The Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) is the Ministry's apex body for Siddha research, with headquarters in Chennai. It has nine institutes or units: three in Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Mettur and Palayamkottai), and others in Puducherry, Kerala, New Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Goa ^{[1, 2]}. The CCRS website says it also carries out pre-clinical pharmacological and toxicological studies, and that its vision includes developing drugs with quality, safety and efficacy ^[2]. Its research covers clinical studies of the safety and effects of Siddha drugs, validation of the fundamental principles, standardisation and quality control of drugs, survey and cultivation of medicinal plants, and literary research ^{[1, 2]}.

The Ministry has also issued Good Clinical Practice guidelines for trials of Siddha, Ayurvedic and Unani medicines. Following them is voluntary, and the page notes that the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and its Rules do not contain clear provisions for clinical trials of Ayurvedic medicines, a gap the guidelines address ^[3].

4. Hospitals, dispensaries and practitioners

The Ministry's figures as on 1 April 2024 show ^[1]:

• 35 Siddha hospitals in India, with 1,320 beds. Tamil Nadu has 26 of them, with 955 beds. Tamil Nadu earlier reported 289 Siddha hospitals, but this was revised to 26 because the first figure had included hospitals without inpatient facilities.
• 1,195 Siddha dispensaries, with 94.4 percent of them in Tamil Nadu.
• 298 manufacturing units that make Siddha drugs.

On 1 January 2024, there were 10,269 registered Siddha practitioners in India. The Ministry's table lists 8,353 of them as institutionally qualified, which leaves 1,916 without an institutional qualification ^[1]. The Ministry's report does not give a state-wise breakdown of practitioners.

These numbers show that Siddha practitioners are far fewer than Ayurveda practitioners, whose national total in the same report is 371,957. They also show that a group of registered practitioners do not have an institutional qualification, which is a reason to ask about a practitioner's training.

5. Registration and regulation

The Ministry's practitioner counts are those reported by State Boards or Councils of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy ^[1]. The national commission, NCISM, facilitates the maintenance of a medical register of the Indian systems of medicine for India ^[1].

Medicines are regulated separately, and the Siddha Pharmacopoeia Committee is among the matters handled at Ministry level ^[1]. The Siddha Formulary of India (Parts I and II) contains 400 formulations, and pharmacopoeial standards cover 139 single drugs and one formulation of Siddha ^[1]. The Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy sets pharmacopoeial standards and acts as the central drug testing cum appellate laboratory ^[1]. The Ministry's Drug Policy Section administers the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 for these drugs and coordinates with State Licensing Authorities. It also administers the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, for these drugs ^[1]. Under the National Health Mission, Ayush facilities are being set up in primary and community health centres, with qualified Ayush physicians appointed on contract ^[1].

6. What this means for you

• Most Siddha dispensaries are in Tamil Nadu, so if you live there you are more likely to find one near you.
• Ask where the practitioner trained and with which State Board or Council they are registered.
• The National Institute of Siddha lists patient care among its mandates, so you can ask the institute about its services ^[1].
• Whatever you choose, tell your own doctor.

7. When to see a doctor

See a doctor, not only a traditional practitioner, for any symptom that is sudden, severe, getting worse or not going away, and for any health problem in a baby, a pregnant woman or an older person. If you have a long-term illness, ask your doctor before changing the way you treat it. A Siddha practitioner who advises you to stop a prescribed medicine should be asked to speak with your doctor first.

In an emergency, call your local emergency number (112 in India, 911 in the United States).

8. Conclusion

Siddha in India rests on a national institute in Chennai, a research council with three units in Tamil Nadu, a network of colleges, hospitals and dispensaries, and practitioner counts reported by state boards. Tamil Nadu has most of the dispensaries and 26 of the 35 hospitals. The figures show an organised system, and they remind patients to check a practitioner's registration and training and to keep their own doctor informed.