India must use the AYUSH opportunity, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• The AYUSH Ministry's budget has nearly doubled in five years, reaching ₹4,408 crore in the current year.
• Three new All-India Institutes of Ayurveda will be established to set standards for traditional medicine.
• Funding for the National AYUSH Mission has increased by 66% to modernize dispensaries and upgrade drug-testing labs.
• The India-EU FTA allows Indian AYUSH practitioners to offer services in EU countries without specific traditional medicine regulations.
• The FTA enables Indian companies to open Ayurvedic clinics across Europe without policy reversal concerns.

Detailed Insights:

• The budget and FTA signal a move to integrate traditional medicine into the mainstream health ecosystem, moving it from an alternative silo.
• The India-EU FTA may allow Indian safety certifications to be accepted in Europe, potentially reducing the need for extra testing of products approved in India.
• Increased global reach necessitates that AYUSH systems meet international standards for safety, manufacturing quality, and claims regulation.
• Independent, third-party scientific evaluation is crucial for AYUSH systems to gain global credibility and avoid reputational damage.
• AYUSH systems offer alternative models of embodiment, viewing the body as an interdependent system within its environment, diet and social life.
• The goal is to foster dialogue between traditional and modern medicine, strengthening scientific inquiry across the spectrum of care.

Key Concepts Involved:

• AYUSH: An acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy, representing traditional medicine systems in India.
• FTA (Free Trade Agreement): An agreement between two or more countries to reduce or eliminate barriers to trade and investment.
• TCAM (Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine): A broad set of healthcare practices that are not part of conventional medicine.