The Indian Government is in the process of creating a national policy for AYUSH (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy). One of the major proposals of this national policy is to include these traditional forms of Indian treatment in the universal health insurance scheme. It is expected that this decision will help in making these domains of treatment a bigger part of public health system in the country. Such inclusion will also mean that there is a need to create infrastructural facilities, regulations, and research setups that will streamline AYUSH in the proper sense of the word.
Circulation of Final Draft
It is expected that the final version of the draft policy will be distributed to various states and ministries by June and only after that will the same be presented to the central cabinet. The central ministry for AYUSH is looking to introduce the final policy by October. The process of getting suggestions from other members of the central administration has been initiated
Why is the AYUSH policy important?
Most importantly, it shows that Indian Government is committed to develop the AYUSH system and also make it a part of a mechanism for delivering healthcare to the people of India. In fact, even Narendra Modi has stated time and again that he wishes this programme to succeed. Another reason as to why the policy is so important is a simple fact that AYUSH, as a form of treatment, is capable of improving the preventive and primary healthcare scenario in India.
A global destination for AYUSH
Apart from making AYUSH healthcare available to more people in India in a structured and methodical way, the Indian Government is looking for its own place on the world map by promoting itself as a destination for such forms of treatment. This is one more reason why it is so focused on making this idea work and doing so big time.
Benefits of proposed national policy for AYUSH
It is expected that the said policy will be setting certain time-bound targets to be achieved. This means that research and education related to AYUSH will become more regulated. There will also be a definite standard that will have to be followed in case of AYUSH treatment and medicines. All this will mean more benefits for the common patients – the intended beneficiaries of the programme.
AYUSH policy objective
As has been said already, the Indian Government is looking to make AYUSH a preferred choice in the domain of primary healthcare. The policy is expected to play a major role in bridging the gap between demand for doctors and the supply, especially in the rural areas. As part of the policy, AYUSH practitioners will be trained to deal with primary healthcare requirements of patients.
Research tie-up with WHO
India is supposed to enter into a collaborative agreement with the United States and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in order to further develop the aforementioned methods of treatment. It is also expected that this association will help India take its traditional forms of treatment to the global stage and thus, gain more exposure. WHO has supposedly expressed significant interest in AYUSH treatment and an agreement for the purpose is supposed to be signed soon in Geneva.
Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy
This is indeed one positive development for all concerned. If the Indian government is successful in making AYUSH work, it will enable the rural population to access primary healthcare at lower costs. People will also have more choices for treatment. Now that the central government is backing them, these treatments – otherwise derided so regularly by allopathic healthcare professionals and common people – will find some much-needed credibility that will help them thrive in the long run.
Secondly, India has a wealth of practitioners who are well-versed in traditional medicine that are part of the AYUSH programme. This programme can help them take part in the training and realise their true potential.
Kerala is known for its Ayurvedic treatments and therapies. However, one feels that it is not the only part of India where such treatments are afforded. With more people around the world, hopefully, coming to know of them, there will always be a greater chance of more influx of patients willing to get treated at those places. One also feels that systems of treatment like Siddha and Unani, which are not as famous as Ayurveda, will now gain the popularity that they deserve within India and outside as well.
The Indian Government will do well to bring other traditional forms of treatment such as yoga and naturopathy in the fold of AYUSH. Yoga is perhaps the most ancient science maintaining well-being and now, thanks to the efforts of various masters practising and teaching abroad, and with the endorsement of Narendra Modi, it is a globally-recognized wellness and holistic treatment. The same can be said about Naturopathy, considering the fact that it has been a success in the US and across Europe.
