National AYUSH Mission (NAM)

The National AYUSH Mission (NAM) was officially launched on September 29, 2014, by the Government of India as a comprehensive healthcare initiative. Implemented by the Ministry of AYUSH, it functions as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) designed to promote and integrate traditional Indian medical systems into the mainstream public healthcare network. The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the National AYUSH Mission from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2026, aligning with the 15th Finance Commission cycle, with a total financial outlay of Rs. 4,607.30 crore. The mission encompasses Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).

Core Objectives of the Mission

The National AYUSH Mission targets multiple facets of the traditional medicine ecosystem to ensure holistic development.

• The mission aims to provide cost-effective and equitable AYUSH healthcare across the country by upgrading existing AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries.
• It focuses on institutional capacity building by upgrading AYUSH educational institutions to ensure a steady supply of qualified traditional medicine practitioners.
• The government seeks to improve the quality control of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathy (ASUD) drugs by strengthening state drug testing laboratories, pharmacies, and enforcement mechanisms.
• The mission promotes the cultivation of medicinal plants by adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) to ensure a sustained supply of quality raw materials for the pharmaceutical sector.
• It aims to establish a robust domestic and international market for AYUSH products by supporting entrepreneurship and standardizing manufacturing processes.

Primary Components of NAM

The implementation framework of the National AYUSH Mission is divided into two broad categories to allow for standardized national implementation while maintaining regional flexibility.

Mandatory Components

The mandatory components ensure that all participating states and union territories build a baseline infrastructure for traditional medicine.

• AYUSH Services: This includes the co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), and District Hospitals (DHs).
• AYUSH Educational Institutions: This component provides financial assistance to upgrade state-run government and government-aided AYUSH colleges.
• Quality Control of ASUD Drugs: Financial grants are provided to states to enforce the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, specifically targeting the standardization of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathy medicines.
• Medicinal Plants: This involves integrating the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) guidelines to support farmers in cultivating high-demand medicinal herbs.

Flexible Components

The flexible components allow states to allocate up to 20 percent of their total NAM budget to specialized, locally relevant interventions.

• States can fund specific AYUSH Wellness Centres, incorporating Yoga and Naturopathy modules for lifestyle disease management.
• Tele-medicine networks and Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns can be developed to increase grassroots awareness.
• Specialized interventions in sports medicine using Ayurveda and specialized AYUSH public health programs are supported under this tier.

Key Interventions and Sub-Schemes

The National AYUSH Mission has evolved to include specific sub-schemes that align with the broader Ayushman Bharat framework and global healthcare demands.

AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs)

The operationalization of AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) is a flagship intervention under the extended NAM framework.

• The government has targeted the operationalization of 12,500 AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres across India to provide comprehensive primary healthcare based on AYUSH principles.
• These centres focus on preventive, promotive, and rehabilitative healthcare, with a special emphasis on reducing the burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) through holistic wellness models.
• The HWCs provide essential AYUSH medicines free of cost and conduct daily Yoga sessions for the community.

Cultivation of Medicinal Plants

Securing the supply chain of raw materials is vital for the survival of the AYUSH pharmaceutical industry.

• The mission provides subsidies ranging from 30 percent to 75 percent of the cultivation cost for different species of medicinal plants to farmers.
• It promotes the establishment of nurseries for raising quality planting material and funds post-harvest management infrastructure like drying sheds and storage godowns.

Funding Pattern for States and UTs

As a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, the financial burden of the National AYUSH Mission is shared between the Central Government and the State/UT Governments based on specific geographic and administrative criteria.

Critical Facts and Trivia for UPSC Prelims

• The acronym AYUSH officially stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy, with Sowa-Rigpa later recognized and integrated into the ministry’s mandate.
• Sowa-Rigpa, also known as the Amchi system of medicine, is one of the oldest surviving and well-documented medical traditions of the world, practiced predominantly in the Himalayan regions of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Darjeeling.
• The Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of AYUSH that lays down the pharmacopoeial standards and testing protocols utilized under the NAM quality control component.
• The co-location of AYUSH facilities in allopathic hospitals is a direct policy measure to provide patients with a choice of treatment and facilitate a pluralistic healthcare delivery system.
• NAM supports the Vrikshayurveda approach, which is the traditional Indian science of plant life, to promote organic and sustainable farming of medicinal flora.