According to Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, the market size of AYUSH — Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy, the six Indian systems of medicine — has grown to $18.1 billion between 2014 and 2020.
Kotecha, who is a former Vice Chancellor of Gujarat Ayurveda University, Jamnagar, said there is a huge demand for Ayush products and services worldwide, and that an Ayush Export Promotion Council would be launched at the ongoing Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit 2022 beginning in Gandhinagar on April 20. The Council will help in promoting exports in the Ayush sector.
“We are committed to making India the favourite destination for medical value travel, and providing Ayush human resource to the world for Ayush-based medical health under the ‘Heal in India’ initiative,” Kotecha said.
The Ministry of Ayush (MoA), was created on November 9, 2014 by the Government of India with a mandate to promote and propagate Indian systems of medicine and homoeopathy. The ministry is committed to infuse the wisdom of traditional medicine with the methodologies of modern science; scientifically validating the systems and presenting them in the scientific idiom, relating their efficacy to modern lifestyles.
The Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit will aim at increasing investments and showcasing innovations in the field of traditional medicine. “It is a unique attempt to foster long-lasting partnerships, boost exports, and nurture a sustainable ecosystem,” the Secretary said.
The Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) that is coming up in Jamnagar (Gujarat) will focus on four main strategic areas: evidence and learning; data and analytics; sustainability and equity; and innovation and technology to optimise the contribution of traditional medicine to global health. It is not a regional centre of the World Health Organisation (WHO), but will be the first and only global centre (office) for traditional medicine in the world. It will focus on building a solid evidence base for policies and standards on traditional medicine practices and products, and help countries integrate it as appropriate into their health systems and regulate its quality and safety for optimal and
The Ministry of Ayush Government of India, has also undertaken several R&D and public health initiatives to harness the potential of Ayush systems to contain the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The MoA collaborated with several research organisations to encourage, promote and advance evidence-based research on Ayush systems. There were well-designed clinical studies and pre-clinical studies in collaboration with reputed institutes like CSIR, ICMR, AIIMS Jodhpur, KGMU Lucknow, MGIMS Wardha and DBT on Ayush interventions as standalone or adjunct to standard of care in asymptomatic and mild to moderate Covid-19 patients.
