A Parliamentary panel has lauded the Union Ayush Ministry for initiating a string of innovative measures including emphasis on integration of traditional alternative medicines in the National Health Mission (NHM) and establishing the system with growing numbers of people reposing their faith in its efficacy.
“The Committee appreciates that the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017 had strongly advocated mainstreaming the potential of AYUSH within a pluralistic system of Integrative healthcare and re-emphasizing the need for integrating AYUSH in the National Health Mission, research and education,” said the panel headed by Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav.
However, the panel in its report submitted in Parliament recently, felt that given that the percentage of budgetary estimate with respect to GDP has been gradually increasing with 0.009 percentage in 2016-17 to 0.015 per cent in 2022-23, realization of the vision of Ayush sector contributing to 7.7 per cent of GDP by 2047 seems to be a distant dream.
Hence, the Ministry should systematically move ahead for strengthening the Ayush system through a series of measures that need to be undertaken….must be adequately funded and schemes meticulously executed so as to realize the full potential of Ayush Systems, said the panel. The importance of Ayush Systems, particularly in Covid times, is highly appreciated with rising popularity of these systems and their increasing 8 acceptability as an economical and effective system of medicine, the panel added
Talking about the targets under the National AYUSH Mission (NAM), the panel said that the mechanism envisages better access to AYUSH services through increase in number of AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries, ensure availability of AYUSH drugs and trained manpower. The parliamentary committee also took note of the fact that as per the NAM, there is a paradigm shift in the recent past in the approach from disease management towards achieving wellness.
The AYUSH systems advocate holistic wellness approach aiming at prevention of diseases and promotion of health and wellbeing. The Government has kept target to upgrade 12,500 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) through States/UTs in Centrally Sponsored Scheme mode and under the broad umbrella of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) in a phased manner by 2023-24 with a financial outlay of Rs 3399.35 crore.
“The Committee has been given to understand that the Ministry had projected a demand of Rs 800.00 crore for NAM and it is heartening to see that it has been allocated the same amount in BE 2022-23. The Committee is pleased to note that demand for enhanced funds was due to demand of States/UTs for strengthening Ayush health facilities in their respective States/UTs.
Stating that the 36 States/UTs, a total of 487 Ayush Co-located facilities are at District Hospitals level, 2811 at CHCs level and 7452 at PHCs level, the panel noted that, “Maximum number of AYUSH co-located facilities are in Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. It is also noted that Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Kerala have NIL Ayush Co-located facilities at all the three levels of District Hospitals, CHCs and PHCs. Bihar has AYUSH co-located facilities only at District Hospitals level while Gujarat has co-located facilities only at PHCs level.”