Ministry of Ayush

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Ministry of Ayush
Government of India logo.svg
Branch of Government of India
Logo Ministry of AYUSH.png
Ministry of Ayush
Ministry overview
Formed9 November 2014
(9 years ago)
 (2014-11-09)
Jurisdiction Government of India
Annual budget3,647.50 crore (US$440 million)
(FY2023–24) [1]
Minister responsible
Ministry executive
Website ayush.gov.in

The Ministry of Ayush, a ministry of the Government of India, is responsible for developing education, research and propagation of traditional medicine and alternative medicine systems in India. Ayush is a name devised from the names of the alternative healthcare systems covered by the ministry: ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and homeopathy. [2]

Contents

The Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H) was first established in 1995 under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. [3] ISM&H was renamed as the Department of AYUSH. The department was made into an official ministry by the Modi government in 2014. [2] [3] [4]

The ministry of Ayush has faced significant criticism for funding systems that lack biological plausibility and are either untested or conclusively proven as ineffective. Quality of research has been poor, and drugs have been launched without rigorous pharmacological studies and meaningful clinical trials on ayurveda or other alternative healthcare systems. [2] [5] The ministry has been accused of promoting pseudoscience. [6] [7]

History

Emphasis on indigenous healthcare models

Successive Five-Year Plans of India (produced by the Planning Commission of India and later the NITI Aayog) allotted considerable focus to alternative, especially indigenous, forms of medicine within the healthcare sector. The Government of India set up a number of committees for healthcare sector development, including Bhore (1946), Mudaliar (1961), and Srivastava (1975), that emphasized the need for improvement of traditional systems of Indian medicine. [8] The National Health Policy (1983), National Education Policy in Health Sciences (1989), and National Health Policy (2002) further elaborated on the role of the Indian System of Medicine (ISM) and Homeopathy (H) as a means to facilitate healthcare access in rural areas where many Indians lack adequate health services. [9]

Educational courses and ISM&H

A diploma course in ayurveda was launched in the third (1961–1966) five-year plan. [10] The Central Council of Indian Medicine was established in 1971. [11] followed by Central Council of Homeopathy in 1973. [12] The sixth (1980–1985) and seventh (1985–1990) five-year plans aimed at developing novel ISM&H drugs. [10] The eighth (1992–1997) five-year plan lent considerable emphasis on the mainstreaming of Ayush.[ citation needed ] The Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy was launched in March 1995, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. [13] [2]

The ninth five-year plan (1998–2002) ensured for its integration with western medicine.[ citation needed ] It was the first to tackle different aspects of the Ayush system in a standalone manner which focused on overall development including investment in human resource development, preservation and cultivation of medicinal plants, establish a more complete pharmacopoeia, and outline good manufacturing processes.[ citation needed ] The acronym AYUSH was devised in 2003. [2] The department of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy was renamed the department of AYUSH in November 2003. [13]

The National Rural Health Mission was launched in 2005 with the stated aim of integrating Ayush practitioners into national health programs, including in primary health care (Ayush medical officers at community health centers, para-professionals et al.) and to provide support for research in the field. [14] The National Rural Health Mission listed the mainstreaming of Ayush as one of its priorities. [15]

After 2014

Observers noted an increased focus on Ayush healthcare after the 2014 Indian general elections, which brought the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power. [4] On 9 November 2014 the previous government department for traditional Indian medicine was elevated by the administration of Narendra Modi into a standing ministry that includes the promotion of yoga practice and the use of Ayurvedic products. [16] [2] [4] The allotted budget for Ayush had more than doubled since 2013–14, and stood at ₹ 1428.7 crore for 2017–18. [17]

Activities

Healthcare

The ministry runs multiple healthcare programs; primarily aimed at the rural population.

Ayush is supposed to form an integral backbone of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana [18] and the ministry had long worked for integrating the different systems of Ayush with modern medicine, in what has been described as 'a type of "cross-pathy"'. [3] More than 50,000 children have been enrolled in 'Homeopathy for Healthy Child'. [19] It observes different days to raise general awareness about Ayush and promote each of the systems. [20]

The ministry had collaborated with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to set up the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) in 2001, on codified traditional knowledge on Indian systems of medicines such as ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and yoga as a means of preventing grant of "bed" patents on traditional knowledge and thus counter biopiracy. [21]

Institutions

The ministry is also at the aegis of several professional research institutes and academic faculties devoted to various forms of alternative medicine: [22]

The ministry also monitors two semi-autonomous regulatory bodies:-

Economics

As of March 2015, there were nearly 800,000 Ayush practitioners, over 90 per cent of whom practiced homeopathy or ayurveda. [3] A 2018 study by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) estimated the market share of Ayush medicines at around US$3 billion and that India exported Ayush products of a net worth US$401.68 million in the fiscal year 2016–17. [32]

The Department of Pharmaceuticals had allocated a budget of ₹1.44 billion to the ministry for 2018-2020 for manufacture of alternative medicines. [33] The average expenditure for drugs on Ayush and scientifically based medicine has been found to not vary widely. [9]

Cabinet Ministers

No.PortraitMinister
(Birth-Death)
Constituency
Term of officePolitical partyMinistryPrime Minister
FromToPeriod
1 Shripad Yasso Naik - Kolkata 2014-10-12 7755.JPG Shripad Naik
(born 1952)
MP for North Goa

(MoS, I/C)
9 November
2014
30 May
2019
6 years, 240 days Bharatiya Janata Party Modi I Narendra Modi
31 May
2019
7 July
2021
Modi II
2 Sarbananda Sonowal with PM Modi (cropped).jpg Sarbananda Sonowal
(born 1962)
Rajya Sabha MP for Assam
7 July
2021
10 June
2024
2 years, 339 days
3 Shri Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao being welcomed on her arrival for assumption of charge as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush (cropped).jpg Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav
(born 1960)
MP for Buldhana

(MoS, I/C)
10 June
2024
Incumbent134 days Shiv Sena Modi III

Ministers of State

No.PortraitMinister
(Birth-Death)
Constituency
Term of officePolitical partyMinistryPrime Minister
FromToPeriod
1 Mahendra Munjapara with PM Modi (cropped).jpg Mahendra Munjapara
(born 1968)
MP for Surendranagar
7 July
2021
9 June
2024
2 years, 338 days Bharatiya Janata Party Modi II Narendra Modi

Criticism

Pseudoscience

A strong consensus prevails among the scientific community that homeopathy is a pseudo-scientific, [34] [35] [36] [37] unethical [38] [39] and implausible line of treatment. [40] [41] [42] [43] Ayurveda is deemed to be pseudoscientific [44] [45] [46] but is occasionally considered a protoscience, or trans-science system instead. [47] [48] Naturopathy is considered to be a form of pseudoscientific quackery, [49] ineffective and possibly harmful, [50] [51] with numerous ethical concerns about the practice. [52] [53] [54] Much of the research on postural yoga has taken the form of preliminary studies or clinical trials of low methodological quality; [55] [56] [57] there is no conclusive therapeutic effect except in back pain. [58] Unani lacks biological plausibility and is considered to be pseudoscientific quackery, as well. [59] [60]

There is no credible efficacy or scientific basis for any of these forms of treatment. [61]

Research

Two systematic reviews, one by The Lancet in 2005 and the other by the Australian government's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in 2015, found no evidence that homeopathy was more effective than a placebo. [3] In a comprehensive review of alternative medicine (including ayurveda and homeopathy) conducted in 2000, the UK House of Lords Committee on Science and Technology was unable to find evidence to support the value of these treatments. Randomized control trials or RCTs for ayurveda and homeopathy have been extremely limited as of 2017. [3] Multiple systemic reviews have highlighted several methodological problems with the studies and trials conducted by Ayush and its associates in relation to developing an ayurvedic drug for diabetes. [62] A tendency to publish in dubious predatory journals and non-reproducibility by independent studies has also been noted. [63] [64] The Hindu reported in 2015 that India had yet to conduct a systematic review of any of the systems of medicine under the purview of Ayush. [3]

Drugs

The ministry (in conjunction with other national laboratories) has been subject to heavy criticism for developing, advocating and commercializing multiple sham-drugs (BGR-34, IME9, Dalzbone, Ayush-64 et al.) and treatment-regimes for a variety of diseases including dengue, [65] [18] [66] [67] chikungunya, swine flu, [68] asthma, autism, [69] diabetes, malaria, [70] AIDS, [71] cancer, [72] COVID-19 [73] [74] [75] and others despite an absence of rigorous pharmacological studies and meaningful clinical trials. [63] [64] [76]

A 2018 systematic review of traditional and AYUSH medicine noted the existing regulations to be inadequate for ensuring the safety, quality, efficacy and standardized rational use of these forms of treatment. Researchers also noted a lack of monitoring for adverse effects from the usage of these drugs and of contraindication trials. [8]

The ministry recommended the herb giloy as an "immune booster against" COVID-19 [77] and issued multiple press releases during the COVID-19 pandemic claiming the herb was safe. Later, multiple cases of liver damage was found in those with a history of giloy consumption. [78] However, the ministry backed its statement by pointing out that neither the content of the herb usage nor the authenticity of the plant, which could be identified with similar-looking plants, was analyzed. [79] [80]

Miscellaneous

The Washington Post noted the efforts behind the revival of ayurveda as a part of the ruling party's rhetoric of restoring India's past glory to achieve prosperity in the future. [4] It also noted of the ayurveda-industry being largely non-standardized and that its critics associated the aggressive integration of ayurveda into healthcare services with the Hindu nationalist ideology of the ruling party. [4] There have been allegations coming out of right-to-information requests that it is the Ayush ministries official policy to not hire Muslims as trainers. [81]

Some researchers have argued that the provision of Ayush services is an example of "forced pluralism" which often leads to disbursal of incompetent healthcare services by unqualified practitioners. [8] [82] Ayushman Bharat has been noted to increase privatization of state healthcare facilities and compel rural populace into preferentially choosing alternative medicine, raising concerns about ethics. [17] [83] The proposal of integrating Ayush with western medicine has been criticized. [84] The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has expressed strong opposition to integrated medicine, [3] [85] [86] [4] often by using the term "mixopathy". [87] [88] In 2020 and 2021, the IMA held nationwide protests to demonstrate against federal changes issued by the Ministry of Ayush that permit ayurvedic practitioners to perform minor surgical procedures. [89] [90] [91]

The ministry had attracted widespread criticism after publishing a pamphlet titled Mother and Child Care through Yoga and Naturopathy which asked pregnant women to abstain from eating meat and eggs, shun desire and lust, hang beautiful photos in the bedroom and to nurture spiritual and 'pure' thoughts among other advice. [92] [93] In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry recommended Arsenicum album 30 as a preventive drug; the claim was without any scientific basis or evidence, and was widely criticized. [94] [95] [96]

Response

The ministry rejected the NHMRC's 2016 study on homeopathy which was regarded as the most rigorous and reliable investigation into homeopathy to date. [97] [98] In 2017, the ministry set up a committee at the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) to counter claimed western propaganda against homeopathy; the committee was ill-received. [19] [99] [76]

Reception

A NSSO survey in 2014 found that only 6.9% of the population favored Ayush (3.5% ISM and 3.0% homeopathy) over conventional mainstream medicine and that the urban population was slightly more conducive to seeking Ayush forms of treatment than their rural counterparts; another survey in 2016 reiterated the same findings, approximately. [100] [9] [101] A 2014 study did not report any significant difference between the usage of Ayush services by rural and urban populace, after adjusting for socioeconomic and demographic variables. [9] Low-income households exhibited the highest tendency for Ayush followed by high-income households and on an overall, Ayush lines of treatment were majorly used to treat chronic diseases. [9] The treatments were more used among females in rural India but no gender-differential was observed in the urban populations. [9] Chhattisgarh (15.4%), Kerala (13.7%), and West Bengal (11.6%) displayed the highest Ayush utilization levels. [9]

A 2018 review article noted that the states exhibited differential preference for particular Ayush systems. Ayurveda and Siddha respectively show greater popularities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Unani was well received in Hyderabad region and among Muslims whilst homeopathy was highly popular in Bengal and Odisha. It further noted that the preference among the general population for usage of Ayush revolved around a perceived "distrust or frustration with modern medicine, cost effectiveness, accessibility, non-availability of other options and less side effects of Ayush medicines". [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayurveda</span> Alternative medicine with roots in India

Ayurveda is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practiced throughout India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayurveda is pseudoscientific and toxic metals such as lead are used as ingredients in many ayurvedic medicines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unani medicine</span> Traditional medicine from the Mughal empire

Unani or Yunani medicine is Perso-Arabic traditional medicine as practiced in Muslim culture in South Asia and modern day Central Asia. Unani medicine is pseudoscientific. The Indian Medical Association describes Unani practitioners who claim to practice medicine as quacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siddha medicine</span> System of traditional medicine originating in southern India

Siddha medicine is a form of traditional medicine originating in southern India. It is one of the oldest systems of medicine in India.

Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (B.A.M.S.) is a professional degree focused on Ayurveda offered in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regulation and prevalence of homeopathy</span> Alternative medicine

Homeopathy is fairly common in some countries while being uncommon in others. In some countries, there are no specific legal regulations concerning the use of homeopathy, while in others, licenses or degrees in conventional medicine from accredited universities are required.

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Rajasthan Ayurved University, formerly Rajasthan Ayurved University, is Ayurved university in the state Rajasthan. The university situated in Jodhpur was founded on 24 May 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Council of Indian Medicine</span> Former Medicine regulatory body of India (1971–2021)

Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) was a statutory body under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India between 1971 and 2021. The CCIM was set up in 1971 under the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, which was passed in 1970. It is one of the Professional councils under University Grants Commission (UGC) to monitor higher education in Indian systems of medicine, including Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Sowa-Rigpa.

Thrissur Ayurveda cluster is an Ayurveda cluster situated in KINFRA Park in Koratty in Thrissur District. The cluster is meant for a comprehensive development of Kerala brand of Ayurvedic products and train the manufacturers of Ayurveda products on the importance of safety, quality and efficacy. The cluster have facilities for testing and analysis, process product validation, safety study and manufacture. The cluster is approved by the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CRIUM, Hyderabad</span>

Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine or CRIUM Hyderabad, established in December 1971, is an Indian Government-sponsored Unani medicine research center and out-patient clinic located in Hyderabad, India. The institute was upgraded to National Research Institute of Unani Medicine for Skin Disorders (NRIUMSD), by Shripad Naik, Minister of State (IC) for AYUSH in November 2019. The Institute is well known for its successful treatment in the skin condition of vitiligo, treating more than 150,000 patients.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Ravidas Ayurved University</span> Public University in India

Guru Ravidas Ayurved University is a public university for Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy located in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India.

National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) is an autonomous organization for research and training in Unani medicine in India. It was established in 1984 at Bangalore under the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, in a joint venture with Government of Karnataka.

Vaidya Balendu Prakash is an Indian Ayurveda practitioner. He is a former physician to the President of India and the founder of Paadav, a specialty Ayurvedic hospital in Dehradun. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri in 1999.

Paneenazhikath Narayana Vasudeva Kurup was an Indian Ayurvedic practitioner, researcher, writer and the founder director of the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRIMH). He is a former vice chancellor of the Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar and a former advisor of the Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM&H) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. He has published several articles and a book, A Handbook on Indian Medicinal Plants, on the traditional Indian medicine system, The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2005, for his contributions to Indian medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uttarakhand Ayurved University</span> State university in Uttarakhand, India

Uttarakhand Ayurved University is a public state university located at Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. It was established in 2009 by the Government of Uttarakhand through the Uttarakhand Ayurved University Act, 2009. It focuses on teaching and research of Ayurveda, as well as other areas of AYUSH. Sunil Kumar Joshi was appointed vice chancellor in 2020.

BGR-34 is an Ayurvedic-derived product that is sold in India as an over-the-counter pill for the management of type 2 diabetes. It was developed in 2015 by two government-owned laboratories and launched commercially in 2016. It has been tested in only one, modest-sized, human trial. The drug has been heavily criticized, and without more clinical trials, its efficacy remains unproven. The manufacturers have refused to acknowledge the claims of inefficacy and other concerns.

Ayush TV is an Indian 24 hour health and wellness channel broadcast in Kannada language, focusing on holistic medicine and therapies. It is a free-to-air channel that is available via cable and satellite..

Dr. B. D. Jatti Homoeopathic Medical College, Hospital and Post Graduate Research Centre is an organization under the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy, Government of India. It is affiliated to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka and conducts the graduate degree course in Homeopathy and post-graduate degree courses in Homoeopathy. The college is attached with 60 bedded hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar</span>

Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) Jamnagar, Gujarat, India which was founded in 1967. It has a joint campus with, an Institute of National Importance, established in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical education in India</span> Medical education

The standard entry-to-practice degree in modern evidence-based medicine in India is the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). Alternative systems of Medicine in India are Ayurveda (BAMS), Unani (BUMS), Siddha(BSMS), Homeopathy (BHMS). M.B.B.S. a credential earned upon completion of a five-and-a-half-year undergraduate program. The curriculum is divided into one year of preclinical studies in general science subjects and three and a half years of paraclinical and clinical studies, followed by a one-year clinical internship. Before beginning the internship, students are required to pass several examinations, the final one of which is conducted in two parts. Postgraduate education in medical specialties typically takes 3 additional years of study after the MBBS and concludes with the award of a Master of Surgery or Doctor of Medicine(MD). Postgraduate diplomas in medical specialities may also be awarded upon the completion of two-year training programs. After that a person can further get a degree in superspeciality in his or her respective branch after successful completion of 3 years of superspeciality in a medical college.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Commission for Indian System of Medicine</span> National regulatory body for Indian Medicine Systems

The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine is a statutory and regulatory body of 29 members, formed by Government of India for framing policies for institutions engaged in Indian System of Medicine and medical professionals. It replaced the Central Council of Indian Medicine on 07 October 2020. The institution will have Boards of assessment and rating and Board of ethics and registration of practitioners of Indian systems of medicine. This commission is working under Ministry of Ayush and will govern the Board of Ayurveda and Unani and the Board of Unani, Siddha and Sowarigpa.

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