The late Dato Dr.Dorai Raja V.R. Somasundaram was instrumental in the creation of PEPTIM in Malaysia. He lead PEPTIM during its challenging formative years, working closely with the government’s Traditional Medicine Department to ensure proper representation of the Indian System of Medicine (ISM) in the council.
He was central to the creation of a curriculum for Ayurvedic education, standards for accreditation of overseas ISM practitioners, standards for ISM products and many other crucial components necessary for the policy development of ISMs in Malaysia.
Dr.Dorai also played a key role in establishing the academic aspects of Traditional Indian Medicine(TIM) in the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Higher Education Institutions that were keen to offer such courses. He also worked closely with the Malaysian Qualifications Agency(MQA) to obtain the relevant certification to enable TIM courses to be conducted according to the Malaysian Education standards. He propelled the pioneering of TIM service of Shirodhara at the Port Dickson Hospital in 2011.
Dr. Dorai, always advocating high quality development of ISM, organised the first International Conference on Traditional Indian Medicine in the region in Malaysia, entitled “Ayurvedic Medicine – The Way Forward” in 2010. The conference marked the collaboration with the Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, endorsed by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia.
Subsequently, in 2013, Dr Dorai banked on his strong networks and excellent working relationship with the TIM authorities in India to bring in renowned experts making the International Conference on Siddha Medicine (ICSM) a hugely successful endeavour for PEPTIM.
Over the years, following his appointment into the Traditional & Complementary Medicine (T&CM) Standing Committee in 1998, Dr Dorai’s dedication to the field of TIM paved the way for sterling example of South-South cooperation by cementing the relationship between the T&CM Division of the Ministry of Health, Malaysia and the Department of AYUSH, India.
Through PEPTIM, he sought to elevate the status of TIM in Malaysia by emphasising professionalism and evidence-based treatment methods of the constituent modalities within that field. He generously sponsored many of his members’ attendance to various symposia and courses fostering a continuous learning climate towards excellence in the TIM field.
Formal advisor on TIM to Director General of the Ministry of Health, Malaysia
Advisor, World Health Organisation – training policy, traditional medicine practitioners
Member, International Advisory Committee, Government of India’s panel on Ayuveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy
Presenter and Panelist – World Ayurveda Congress, India
Keynote speaker – European Ayurvedic Medical Association Congress, Germany
Pertubuhan Perubatan Tradisional India Malaysia (PEPTIM).
