Madhavaug and Vedic Delight Ayurvedic treatment centres were inaugurated at Dhavali-Ponda in Goa on October 23, 2020. On this occasion, the Minister of AYUSH expressed hope that AYUSH would be adopted globally as the mainstream treatment. The Ministry of AYUSH has established itself globally in just almost six years since its inception, and called the annual celebration of International Yoga Day (June 21) a great achievement of the ministry.
Benefits of AYUSH
AYUSH is beneficial in the following ways:
- It addresses gaps in health services.
- It provides low cost services in far-flung areas.
- AYUSH can provide best care to elderly.
- Problem of tobacco and drug abuse can be tackled by AYUSH especially through Yoga.
- Useful in lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
- Large part of the population prefers AYUSH as it is perceived to have lower side effects, costs and considerations of it being more natural. Challenges Faced by AYUSH
AYUSH also faces the following challenges:
- The ability of AYUSH practitioners to cross-practise to highlighting current restrictions on allopathic practitioners from practising higher levels of caregiving.
- Urban-rural disparities in physician availability in the face of an increasing burden of chronic diseases make health care in India both inequitable and expensive.
- Scientific validation of AYUSH has not progressed in spite of dedicated expenditure in past.
- Practitioners are moving away from traditional system for better opportunities The existing infrastructure remains under-utilized.
- The 4th Common Review Mission Report 2010 of the National Health Mission reports the utilisation of AYUSH physicians as medical officers in primary health centres (PHCs) in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand as a human resource rationalisation strategy. However, a lack of appropriate training in allopathic drug dispensation was a deterrent to their utilisation in primary-care settings.
- AYUSH physicians do not have appropriate skill to meet the demand for acute and emergency care at the primary level.
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The Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM & H) was created in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 1995, which was renamed as Department of AYUSH (Ayurveda + Yoga & naturopathy + Unani + Sidha + Homoeopathy) in 2003. It is based on alternative medical systems, being practised in India these days aimed at providing better treatment at a low cost to the common man. They represent a way of healthy living with established concepts of health. Holistic in approach, they have led to resurgence of interest on AYUSH systems. Many countries have integrated Yoga, in their health care delivery systems.
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Courtesy: ndtv.com, hi.nhp.gov