New Delhi: Mainstreaming of Ayush is one of the core strategies in the National Health Mission, which seeks to provide accessible, affordable and quality health care, Union Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav said on Tuesday. Engagement of Ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and homoeopathy (Ayush) doctors/paramedics are supported under the National Health Mission (NHM), provided they are co-located with existing district hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres, with priority to remote community health centres and primary health centres, Jadhav said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. Mainstreaming of Ayush has been taken up in 13,222 Ayush facilities co-located under NHM — 6,612 primary health centres, 3,035 community health centres, 469 district hospitals, 2,916 health facilities above sub-centre but below block level and 190 health facilities other than community health centres at or above the block level but below the district level.
Also, 27,421 Ayush doctors and 4,581 paramedics were in position in various co-located health facilities as on December 31, the minister said.
According to Ayushman Bharat, the government is supporting the states for the transformation of sub-health centres and primary health centres into health and wellness centres around the country for provisions of Comprehensive Primary Health Care that include preventive health care and health promotion at the community level with a continuum-of-care approach to realise the goal of universal health coverage.
Ayush medicine is also a part of ASHA drug kit for the management of primary conditions at the community level, Jadhav said.
The North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Folk Medicine Research in Arunachal Pradesh’s Pasighat has been established with a mandate to revitalise and promote folk healing practices and folk medicine, the minister said.
The institute is engaged in the documentation of ethnomedicinal practices and scientific validation of folk claims, he said.
It is also trying to develop capacity among the traditional healers and organising awareness camps for popularising the potential of folk healing practices and folk medicine.
The Quality Council of India is certifying traditional community healthcare providers under the Voluntary Certification Scheme for Traditional Community Healthcare Providers.
