Traditional healthcare systems in India, represented by the Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH) sector, are witnessing unprecedented growth. Projections suggest its market size will leap to USD 24 billion by 2023 end. Amid this promising scenario, the AYUSH sector is set to take a spotlight at the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Traditional Medicine Summit.
Understanding the AYUSH Sector
The AYUSH sector stands for India’s traditional healthcare mechanisms. The diverse, accessible, affordable, and widely accepted nature of these medical systems make them indispensable to the country’s healthcare provision. As they grow in economic value, their services have become critical to a significant population.
Diverse Disciplines Under AYUSH
Under the AYUSH umbrella, we find various unique disciplines. Ayurveda, an ancient system, stresses holistic well-being. Yoga aims at union of body, mind, and spirit through physical postures and meditation. Naturopathy leverages natural elements like water, air, and diet for healing. Unani focuses on balance restoration using herbal medicines and the humoral theory. Siddha, a traditional Tamil medicine system, has roots in the five elements and humors theory. Lastly, Homeopathy uses highly diluted remedies to stimulate self-healing responses.
Growth of AYUSH Sector
The AYUSH sector is experiencing an exponential financial upsurge. Revenue from AYUSH medicines and supplements production has skyrocketed from 3 billion USD in 2014 to 18 billion USD in 2020. It’s anticipated to reach 24 billion USD in 2023, underlining its financial significance. Apart from this, AYUSH-based health and wellness centers are receiving an overwhelming response with 7,000 centers operational and 8.42 crore patients having availed services by 2022.
Schemes Related to AYUSH
The Indian government has introduced various initiatives to promote the AYUSH sector. These include the National Ayush Mission, New Portals on Ayush Sector, AYUSH Entrepreneurship Programme, Ayush Wellness Centers, ACCR Portal, and Ayush Sanjivani App.
The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit
The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit aims to underscore the importance of traditional medicine in global healthcare practices. The summit, a collaborative effort between WHO and the Indian Government, brings together experts, policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders to discuss and shape the future of traditional medicine. The inaugural WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit is slated to take place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The summit will witness participation from more than 90 countries and diverse stakeholders representing various sectors. This pivotal event aims at sharing best practices, evidence, data, and innovations in traditional medicine and discussing their role in health and sustainable development.
Finally, in the context of protecting traditional knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies, the government of India has implemented several measures, an intriguing question that appeared in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (2019).