Over the last few years, the government has made sustained and visible efforts to build awareness and credibility for the Ayush medical system, both within India and globally. MoAyush’s own research initiatives as well as collaborations with WHO, DBT, ICMR, etc. signal a clear intent to move towards evidence-based integration. However, translating this intent into substantial reality shall require dedicated investment commitments of the order of a minimum of INR 500 cr. per year over the next 5 years whereby robust evidence is built for Ayurveda as treatment of choice for select medical conditions starting with conditions such as Diabetes, Parkinson’s, Osteoarthritis-Knee, Lumbar Spondylosis and Sciatica in addition to gut health, sleep health, etc. This provision should be to set up a separate moonshot mission for evidence building fostering strategic public-private partnerships just as DBT has successfully demonstrated in the biotechnology sector over the last 2 decades. Not only shall this reduce healthcare spends for the Government in the medium term with elective surgery and emergency care reduced/obviated, but it will also be welcomed by society at large.

On the demand side, the Government must make a separate budgetary provision for inclusion of Ayurveda-Ayush in the ABPMJAY program. This is an imperative from the public health perspective so that effective secondary and tertiary prevention is covered and out-of-pocket expenses of the common man, currently at an estimated 48% of total spend, is significantly reduced.

Rajiv Vasudevan, MD, CEO & Founder, Apollo AyurVAID