Public Health and Medical Facilities

The Kanyakumari district has contributed much in the field of Medicine. The district is endowed by nature with several hills and mountains with rich herbs of medicinal value and minerals. Maruthuvamalai, a hill in the district located near Kanyakumari, literally means medicinal hill, is referred to by Therapeutacs (Buddha Bikshus) who belonged to the period of Emperor Asoka, as having medical and spiritual heritage. According to the tradition that the hill was a piece of the mountain Gandha Madhana dropped here while the mountain was carried by Hanuman to Lanka during the epic war between Rama and Ravana. Rare medicinal herbs are available here in abundance.

Sage Agasthiya, the first grammarian of good old Tamil was also the foremost of the Siddhars. (The practitioners of herbal medicines). This sage is believed to have lived in this land’s end and there is also a village by name Agasteeswaram near Maruthuvamalai which owes its name to the dwarf sage. In this village, there is a temple dedicated to Agasteeswaramudaiyar which is believed to have been consecrated by Agasthiya himself. Besides medicine and grammar, Agasthiya was also adept in Varma Sastra. General palm leaf records like ‘Varmani’ and Varma Sastra were written by Agasthiya. Even today, this healing art of varmam treatment is taught in Kanyakumari in the Guru-Sishya tradition, and treatment is also done by elders who are quite conversant with this method of treatment by applying Tamil medicines in required proportion. This method of treatment has proved successful in several cases.

Kanyakumari played an important role in the international medical field, even before the Christian era. In Charaka Samhita, we come across a meeting. So to say, the first International Medical Conference was held in 1000 B.C. on the slopes of the Great Himalayas, where 53 sages took part in the deliberations of devising ways and means to bring out Trisutra (three kinds of knowledge pertaining to Indian Medical Science) Viz., Hetu Sutra (Etimology), Viyadhi Sutra (Pathology) and Aushada Sutra (Pharmacology). A chapter of the book Samhita gives a list of participants of the World Meet. This Meet was presided by Bharadvaja, and the Sage Agasthiya, represented South India. Agasthiya delivered a key note address on Astanga (Octopartite) which includes General Medicine (Kaya) Peadiatrics (Bala) Hysteria (Graha) ENT (Urthunga) Surgery (Salya) Toxicology (Visha) and treatment for Virility (Resagine).

From the period of Agasthiya to the present day, the Siddha system of treatment has been preserved carefully by the people of Kanyakumari. The growth of allopathic system of medicine in Kanyakumari district is also an interesting one. The early Protestant Christian Missionaries were considered pioneer in the field of allopathic medicine of the district . By establishing a hospital at Nagercoil, the London Mission Society (LMS) known as Church of South India (CSI) has laid the foundation for the modern allopathic system of practice in the district as early as 1838. The district owes much of its present position and importance, to the efforts of the Missionaries in the field of medicine. The allopathic system, introduced by the British was adopted as a State system of relief in due course.

From the beginning, the European system of medicine had to meet organized opposition of the indigenous school of treatment. Despite this opposition, the London Missionary Society established a hospital at Neyyoor in 1830 and began its services. Another milestone in the medical history of Kanyakumari district was the establishment of the Salvation Army’s “Catherine Booth Hospital”, (1892) at Vadasery in Nagercoil. With a view to encourage the practice of induction medicine by private agencies, a system of sanctioning regular medical aids to them was started by the Government in 1895-1896. In Kanyakumari district, the CSI Hospital, Neyyoor received Rs.1200 per annum, as maintenance grant. The smaller vaidyasalas were allowed an honorarium of Rs.35 per month. The Durbar Physician supervised and controlled the institutions which were functioning on European methods.

Another native system i.e., Chintamani, which formed part of ayurvedic science was also prevalent in the district. This system describes the means of ascertaining diseases by the examination of the pulse. Since this system needed more care in the preparation of the mineral drugs, the number of patients was very limited.

Government Kanyakumari Medical College has been functioning since 20-03-2007 at Asaripallam.

A new Government Ayurveda Medical College has been announced to be started at Kottar shortly by the State Government.

PUBLIC HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES RENDERED BY ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS

Sl. No.	Name of the Hospital	No. of Doctors	Sanctioned Bed
1.	Head Quarters Hospital, Padmanabhapuram	21	108
2.	Kanyakumari	5	51
3.	Kuzhithurai	10	86
4.	Bhoothapandi	7	41
NON-TALUK HOSPITALS
5.	Colachel	7	38
6.	Kulasekaram	5	36
7.	Arumanai	3	21
8.	Senam Vilai	3	-
9.	Karungal	3	12

Sl. No.	Name of the Primary Health Centre.	No. of Doctors
1.	Chenbhagaramanputhur	4
2.	Arumanallur	2
3.	Aralvoimozhi	3
4.	Agasteeswaram	2
5.	Kottaram	2
6.	Azhagappapuram	2
7.	Rajakkamangalam	3
8.	Ganapathipuram	1
9.	Singalayerpuri	1
10	Muttom	2
11.	Naduvoorkarai	2
12.	Vellichanthai	2
13.	Kurunthencode	2
14.	Killioor	2
15.	Kurunthencode	2
16.	Nattalam	2
17.	Arudesam	3
18.	Thoothoor	2
19.	Thengapattanam	3
20.	Munchirai	2
21.	Edaicode	2
22.	Pathukani	2
23.	Melpuram	2
24.	Kuttakuzhy	3
25	Kannanoor	2
26.	Thiruvattar	2
27.	Pechiparai	1
28.	Kothanallur	3
29.	Thiruvithancode	2
30	Palliyadi	1
Total		65

Sl. No	Name of the Institution	No. of Doctors
1	District Siddha Hospital, Kottar (Ayurveda Medical College Campus)	1
2.	Government Hospital, Padmanabhapuram	1
3.	Government Hospital, Kuzhithurai	1
4.	Government Hospital, Bhoothapandy	1
5.	Government Hospital, Kanniyakumari	1
6.	Government Hospital, Seynamvilai	1
7.	Government Hospital, Arumanai	1
8.	Government Hospital, Colachel	1
9.	Government Hospital, Karungal	1
10.	Government Community Health Centre, Aralvoimozhy	1
11.	Government Primary Health Centre, Arudhesam	1
12.	Government Primary Health Centre, Agastheeswaram	1
13.	Government Primary Health Centre, Chenbagaramanputhoor	1
14.	Government Primary Health Centre, Edaicode	1
15.	Government Primary Health Centre, Kuttakuzhi	1
16.	overnment Primary Health Centre, Kurunthencode	1
17.	Government Primary Health Centre, Kothanaloor	1
18.	Government Primary Health Centre, Vellichanthai	1
19.	Government Primary Health Centre, Ganapathipuram	1
20.	Government Primary Health Centre, Singalayerpuri	1
21.	Government Primary Health Centre, Rajakkamangalam	1
22.	Government Primary Health Centre, Muttom	1
23.	Government Primary Health Centre, Azhagappapuram	1
24.	Government Primary Health Centre,Thengapattinam	1
25.	Government Primary Health Centre,Thadikarakonam	1
26.	Government Primary Health Centre, Kottaram	1
27.	Government Primary Health Centre, Naduvoorkarai	1
28.	Government Rural Siddha Dispensary, Poovancode	1

Sl. No	Name of the Institution	No. of Doctors
29.	Government Ayurveda Dispensary, Edalakudy	1
30.	Government Ayurveda Dispensary, Munchirai	1
31.	Government Ayurveda Dispensary, Thiruppathisaram	1
32.	District Siddha Hospital, Kottar (Ayurveda Medical College Campus)	1
33.	Government Hospital, Kulasekaram	1
34.	Government Primary Health Centre, Killiyoor	1
35.	Government Primary Health Centre,Arumanalloorl	1

Sl. No	Name of the Institution	No. of Doctors
36.	District Siddha Hospital (Ayurveda Medical college campus)	1
37.	Government Head Quarter Hospital, Padmanabhapuram	1
38.	Government Primary Health Centre, Thuthoor	1
30.	Government Primary Health Centre, Melpuram	1

Sl.No	Items	Numbers
1	2	3
1.	Hospitals ( including T.B. Hospital )	12
2.	Dispensaries	3
3.	Sanitary Primary Health centre	31
4.	Nursing Home	125
5.	Maternity & Child Welfare Clinic	-
6.	Allopathy	42
7.	Ayurvedic	130
8.	Unani	-
9.	Homeopathy	187