According to Rajesh Kotecha, secretary, of the Ministry of Ayush, the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) is about to start a study to analyse the public perception and use of traditional systems of medicine in India.
Ayush is an acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy, which are all traditional and complementary medicine systems practiced in India. The government will first compile data on the use of Ayush-based therapies in India, with the results expected by the end of the year.
The NSSO will conduct a nationwide survey of 16,416 households. The poll results are expected to be released by the end of the year, according to Kotecha, who added that the findings will aid the government in assessing public interest in Ayush practices and determining where policy interventions should be made.
The move coincides with the opening of the world’s first WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
The institution was officially inaugurated on April 21 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus.
This is the first time the WHO has established a headquarters in a developing country. Other branches are currently located in industrialised countries.
“This is a watershed moment in the Ayush movement in India,” Kotecha remarked.
A strong trend is coming to adopt Ayush-based techniques
According to the secretary, India is experiencing a “solid” undercurrent of herbal medication and practise acceptance, particularly since the breakout of Covid-19.
90 percent of participants employed traditional techniques and medications during the pandemic, according to an internal poll conducted by the ministry via its app Ayush Sanjeevani.
We shall see kranti (revolution) in Ayurveda in the next five years,” our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji declared, “and here it is, exactly in the five years.”
criticism of Ayush assisted us in determining the right path
The alternative medicines and therapies covered by Ayush are frequently criticised as “pseudoscientific” by modern medical experts.
“I am pleased that Ayush has been criticised and labelled as pseudoscientific. This aided the ministry in determining the best course of action. “Criticism is useful…if you want to learn from it,” Kotecha said. “India is democratic, and everyone has the right to free expression.” This criticism has pointed us in the right direction in terms of gathering tangible evidence to demonstrate the efficacy of Ayurveda and other
traditional medicines.”Today, he said, several studies are being conducted with top Indian institutes to generate evidence.
“For example, in addition to a critical study at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), we are working with 26 departments of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi to document the working and efficiency of top-end ayurvedic procedures.”
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