The International Ayurveda Foundation (IAF) has asked the government to reconsider the National Commission for Human Resources in Health (NCHRH) Bill to include the Ayush streams into the bill. The bill, at present, is waiting for passage in the Rajya Sabha.

In a recent representation to Rajya Sabha, the IAF pointed out that the government has been very careless to ignore a huge market like Ayush as 38 per cent of the population in the country depends upon traditional systems of medicine. The association urged the government that the present bill should be put on hold so that the government can re-consider the same keeping in mind the pluralistic health care system in the country.

The objective of the NCHRH is to consolidate the law in certain disciplines of health sector and promote human resources in health sector and provide for mechanism for the determination, maintenance, coordination and regulation of standards of health education throughout the country to ensure adequate availability of human resources in all States.

According to Praful Patel, general secretary, IAF, “Like the modern medicines, Ayush is equally an important branch that needs to be included into the mainstream system of medicine. For the benefit of the industry, at least now steps should be taken to ensure mainstreaming of Ayush in the main health care policy so that Ayush systems are not disengaged from the health care related legislation and its standardisation.”

He further stressed that like the modern medicines even Ayush streams are equally important and should be considered simultaneously, not separately. Through the representation, he suggested that the the Bill should be re-drafted taking into consideration the recommendations sent by the department of Ayush as well.

On NCHRH Bill, Dr S S Savrikar, former vice chancellor of Gujarat Ayurved University whose paper on the bill has been attached with the representation, stated that the vision document of Ayush for 11th five-year plan had emphasised the need for mainstreaming Ayush by designing strategic interventions for wider utilisation of Ayush both domestically and globally making mainstreaming of Ayush major objective of Ayush health policy.  He pointed out that if Ayush which is an important discipline of healthcare is not included in NCHRH, it will never be brought in mainstream health service sector.

“Ayush drug will not be included in the definition of drugs, if Ayush remains outside the purview of NCHRH. Thus keeping Ayush outside the NCHRH will give a wrong message to the world community that India is not recognising Ayush as a reliable health care system. Creating a scenario where the world will never take note of Ayush systems putting all attempts to market Ayush drugs as drug in the world market in vain,” Dr Savrikar cautioned.