Allopathy and Ayush complement each other, not competitors: Union Ayush Minister

To give Ayurveda global recognition, India is placing special emphasis on evidence-based research and high-quality clinical trials through the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and other institutions, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ayush) Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav said in an interaction with The Hindu.

The Minister said that in India, the aim of the Ministry is to develop an integrated healthcare model.

“Allopathy and Ayush systems complement each other; they are not competitors. Through the National Ayush Mission (NAM) and Ayush Grid, we are working to combine the strengths of both systems to provide better and more comprehensive healthcare,’’ he said, adding that the Ministry’s priority was balanced and equal development while preserving the uniqueness of each system of medicine.

“Under the NAM, Ayush health centres and medicinal gardens are being developed across the country. The National Commission for Indian Systems of Medicine (NCISM) and the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) have been set up ensuring standardisation for course content, faculty, infrastructure, and research,’’ he added.

The Minister said the government was also working to strengthen public health infrastructure, and that under NAM, Ayush doctors were being deployed in Health and Wellness Centres to ensure access to primary healthcare in rural and remote areas.

“Together with WHO, we have set up the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Gujarat, the first such centre in the world. Its aim is to accelerate standardisation, research, and global outreach of Ayush systems,’’ the Minister said.

On the issue of poor quality and counterfeit Ayurvedic medicines, he said the government was strengthening the drug quality control network.

“Modern labs, testing protocols, and digital tracking systems are being developed. Manufacturers are also being encouraged to adopt Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP),’’ he said.

Responding to a question on making Yoga and Ayurveda education compulsory at school and college levels, he said efforts to integrate them into curricula were ongoing.

“Course modules are being developed with NCERT and UGC so that the younger generation can connect with the principles of holistic health. Our goal is to position India at the forefront of global health leadership by 2047. For this, we are focusing on evidence-based research, digitisation, Ayush education and the start-up ecosystem,’’ he said.