Chennai, June 15: The National Institute of Siddha (NIS), which claims to have successfully treated 160 COVID-19 positive cases in the metro in a short span, has requested the state government to hand over all COVID-19 Care Centres in the city to it to facilitate Siddha doctors to commence treatment.

Coming under the Union Ayush Ministry, NIS, which claims to have cured the 160 people within five days, is confident of flattening the curve in Chennai and convert it into a safe zone in just matter of days. Tamil Nadu Announces 'Maximised Restricted Lockdown' in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram And Tiruvallur Districts Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases.

NIS has requested the state government to hand over all the COVID-19 Care Centres in the city to the institute at the earliest so as to facilitate the Siddha doctors to commence treatment, a top official said.

The institute, through its pilot study on the use of the traditional system of medicine, has come out with three potent combinations of Siddha drugs and is ready to use the combo to prevent the spread of the virus as well as treat the infected.

"Depending upon the availability and quantity required for treating Coronavirus positive patients, we have after thorough research, come out with three different effective combinations of the Siddha preparations," Dr R Meenakumari, Director, NIS, told PTI. Moreover, the treatment cost is negligible compared to the prohibitive cost in corporate hospitals and all the Siddha medicines are locally available, she added.

"We have requested the state government to hand over all the COVID-19 Care Centres (at RGGGH, Stanley GH, KMC, Omandurar GH besides those in the Chennai Corporation limits) to us and allow us to treat all the patients. Our Siddha drug combination is potent enough to convert a positive patient into Coronavirus negative in three days' time," she claimed.

Her confidence stems from the fact that the Siddha doctors here have "successfully" treated 160 patients besides 23 inmates of the Puzhal Central Prison. "Initially, we treated 85 patients with SRM Medical College and Hospital and another 75 at the Greater Chennai Corporation run CCC at Saligramam. They all recovered and tested negative after five days of successful treatment," she claimed.

"The combination that we have prepared will help to cure the infected patient within three days," Dr. Meenakumari who is a member of the national task force on framing guidelines for treatment protocols, said. "Siddha medicine has huge potential to treat the patients and there are possibilities to use the medicine to save precious human lives," she said.

The NIS, which is all set to commence clinical trials in three days, also claims that Siddha drugs could treat persons with acute respiratory distress one of the symptoms of Coronavirus.  Track the Spread of Coronavirus in India: Live Map

Meanwhile, the Central Council for Research in Siddha has sent a proposal to the state government to include the traditional medicine in the treatment protocols at the state- run CCCs.

"We have also urged the state government to include the Brahmananda Bhairava Mathirai a herbo-mineral preparation, which has already been approved by the Ayush ministry to treat persons with COVID-19 related fever, at all the COVID-19 wards," a senior doctor at the CCRS said. The proposal also includes providing kabasura kudineer (a herbal concoction) among others.

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