With Yoga and Naturopathy emerging as the proven alternatives to prevent and cure a variety of ailments, including lifestyle diseases, the Union government has now chalked an ambitious road map to promote Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM), including Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and therapies such as Yoga and Naturopathy, through the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
With yoga and naturopathy gaining worldwide acceptance, the government is now gearing up to address health issues across the population, said S. Gandhiselvan, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
“It is an established fact that that Yoga and Naturopathy can prevent and cure various forms of ailments. In the last three decades, Yoga, in particular, has become popular all over the world as an effective disease management strategy. The government has decided to give special thrust to Yoga and Naturopathy so that the objectives of NRHM are met through the ISM,” he said at the ‘Arogya Expo 2012’ and the ‘International Conference on Yoga and Naturopathy’ (ICYN) held here recently.
The broad policy support extended to the development of Ayush systems of medicine has ensured the organized development of all these six systems of healthcare based on their individual merits and strengths.
The launch of NRHM, which is the flagship health programme of the Government, has been significant for Ayush systems, as one of its objectives to promote the effective provision of the healthcare to the masses. Under NRHM, AYUSH doctors and facilities are being introduced in primary health centres and community health centres throughout the country. The availability of AYUSH facilities in PHCs and CHCs would ensure that the entire range of medical facilities would be available to the public and to the poor in particular. The mainstreaming of AYUSH in the healthcare system will have a significant impact on the health status of the people, said the minister.
“The NRHM is significant for ISM, as it is capable of meeting the objectives of India’s health requirements. The government intends to introduce ISM at the primary health centres and community health centres all over the country shortly. Since Yoga and Naturopathy have been accepted for effective disease management because of their unique and holistic healing approaches, it is high time we also took advantages of the same by introducing them through public health system,” the minister added.
Though there were six lakh practitioners of ISM and Homoeopathy in the country,the number was still insufficient to address the health issues plaguing the country, he pointed out.
“The government is evolving a broad policy to promote ISM and Ayush colleges. At present, there are 488 Ayush colleges in the nation. But the quality of education is a concern. We will make suitable suggestions after consulting experts in the field to improve the quality of education,” he explained.
“There has been a systematic campaign since several centuries to undermine the capabilities of ISM, including Yoga and Naturopathy. But now, people are gradually waking up to reality. More and more people are adopting Yoga as a way of life. I am confident that in the coming years, ISM and Yoga will show the way to a healthy lifestyle for the entire world,” he added.
Ayush -based outpatient services in Karnataka taluka hospitals
Government of Karnataka plans to open Ayush-based (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) outpatient units in all taluka hospitals in a phased manner in association with various organizations, which are involved in promoting Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM).
The state department of Ayush in collaboration with the Shantivana Trust of Dharmasthala has already opened outpatient units in 10 taluka-level hospitals in the state on public-private partnership model. These units have proved to be useful in extending natural health services to the public. “We intend to extend this concept to all the districts of Karnataka in a phased manner, said Karnataka chief minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda.
“Our government has duly recognized the importance of Yoga in daily life and has given priority for the empowerment of this sector. In an effort to promote Yoga and Naturopathy through educational initiatives, the government also plans to set up a number of schools and colleges.
“We have already established a full-fledged Yoga & Naturopathy college in Mysore. This institute is offering several useful courses. Yoga and Naturopathy are safe and effective combination of drugless therapy. They need to be promoted in the interest of society,” the Karnataka chief minister pointed out.
“Altered lifestyle, food habits, stressful life, overuse of medicine and pollution have made health to be measured by percentage of diseases. World over, people are looking for a safe, effective and multidimensional healthcare system based on Yoga, which advocates that healing and happiness come from within. Yoga and Naturopathy have now emerged as the proven alternatives to prevent and cure a variety of ailments, including lifestyle diseases, The government will continue to provide support to these systems in order to extend the benefits to society,” he said.
A conclave of leading Yoga gurus, elected representatives, policy-makers, and seers, as part of the ICYN also passed a resolution urging the Centre to allocate 10 per cent of the health sector budget to Aysuh in an effort to promote Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM).
The government should promote Aysuh extensively so that the benefits of the ISM reached the masses, including the villagers. The conclave also felt that Aysuh was the best form of therapy that can provide holistic care to the masses because it emphasizes on prevention rather than cure of diseases.
Further, resolutions were also passed to ensure proper documentation and recording of data relating to Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddhi & Homoeopathy therapies and treatment methods. It also stressed upon the need to promote research and development into AYUSH therapies to standardize treatment techniques, stated G.N. Sreekantaiah, Director, Department of Ayush, Government of Karnataka.
The event
The Karnataka department of Ayush played host to the International Conference on Yoga, Naturopathy and Arogya Expo 2012 which was held from February 9 to 13. The event was held with the assistance of the Union government and other associations in the yoga and other related Indian systems of medicine. The theme of the event was ‘Yoga and Naturopathy for Natural Health.’
The event was held at the Palace Grounds and the competitions for yoga was conducted at the Koramangala Stadium in Bengaluru.
The total budget allocation for the event was Rs. 4 crore. The state government set aside Rs.2 crore, the union government offered Rs.55 lakh and the remaining was generated through sponsorships, said Karnataka Minister for Medical Education S A Ramdas.
The Minister said that the state was making efforts to enhance the budget for the promotion of Ayush in the state during the Budget of 2012-13. The international conference on Yoga, Naturopathy and Arogya Expo 2012 provides a platform for the growth of the sector. There is need to combine this system of medicine with modern medical science, he added.
For the event, there were over 300 stalls displaying the Ayush products, types of foods for each body system, special stalls on vector borne diseases among others. It also showcased the achievements of the Ayush councils in the country. The industry was able to interact with the customers directly.
Around 5 lakh visitors thronged the Palace Grounds and 500 participants were from abroad. There was considerable interest evinced from countries like US, Germany, Nepal, Japan, Mauritius, Thailand, Ukraine, Russia among others. Earlier the Karnataka government also made efforts to increase the awareness of yoga through road shows at 28 districts in Karnataka, and more than 200 Tier II and III cities were covered to create an awareness on the importance of yoga and naturopathy along with the event details.
While yoga is an ancient Indian science and is a key wellness strategy, Naturopathy is a combination of drugless natural therapies based on the principle of using five elements (panchabootas) for healing purposes. In India, both yoga and naturopathy are used together as they complement each other and make a complete system of healing.
The first international conference on Yoga and Naturopathy has been viewed as a global platform for all the stakeholders who were engaged in intellectual exchange to strengthen the evidence based practice of these systems of medicine, said the medical education minister.
The interactions were in three languages: English, Hindi and Kannada which allowed a larger audience to comprehend the advantages of the systems. The technical and the three track education symposia were parallel sessions. There were also be academia and industry forums.