New Delhi: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush, Shri Prataprao Jadhav, inaugurated the Departmental Summit on ‘National Ayush Mission and Capacity Building in States’ at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Sarita Vihar, in the august presence of Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, and Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush.
Strengthening State-Specific Healthcare Frameworks
Addressing the gathering, Shri Jadhav underlined the government’s commitment to building resilient and inclusive healthcare systems tailored to state needs. He emphasized the development of comprehensive SOPs for enhancing healthcare delivery and ensuring better integration of Ayush with modern medicine.
“Our aim is to build robust health infrastructure, ensure quality services, and create frameworks that combine Ayush with modern healthcare,” he said.
Progress of National Ayush Mission
Highlighting achievements since the launch of the National Ayush Mission (NAM) in 2014, the Minister noted its success in advancing affordable, inclusive Ayush healthcare. He pointed to the establishment of 12,500 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, shifting from OPD-based models to holistic service delivery focused on preventive and promotive care.
He also announced the launch of Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) for Ayush facilities in March 2024, developed with NITI Aayog and DGHS, to ensure uniformity in infrastructure, medicines, quality assurance, and human resource capacity.
Key Announcements
- Ayurveda Day will now be celebrated on September 23 every year, with this year marking its 10th anniversary under the theme “Ayurveda for People and Planet.”
- Operationalization of a Project Management Unit (PMU) at AIIA to act as a dedicated interface for Ayush-related insurance matters.
- Launch of the ‘Ayurvidya Advanced Centre’, a digital platform to expand Ayurveda education through expert-led courses, webinars, and interactive sessions.
Insights from NITI Aayog
Dr. V.K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, stressed that mainstreaming Ayush is critical to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. He highlighted India’s progress against major diseases and called for increasing life expectancy from 71 to 85 years, using an integrated approach combining modern and traditional medicine.
He outlined key focus areas:
- Stronger implementation of NAM.
- Strengthening Ayush medical education.
- Promoting wellness and medical value tourism.
- Encouraging private sector participation and workforce training.
Institutional Initiatives
Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha emphasized the ‘Har Ghar Ayuryog’ initiative, combining Ayush and Yoga to improve household-level health. He noted that the two-day summit, organized around six key sub-themes, will harness grassroots inputs from states and UTs to strengthen Ayush policies.
State Participation
Senior officials and bureaucrats from States and UTs presented state-specific reports and feedback collected from grassroots stakeholders. This participatory model, officials said, will help strategically expand the National Ayush Mission and promote the integration of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and Homeopathy systems.
