India is striving towards an 'Integrated Health Policy': Union Health Minister Mandaviya

New Delhi [India], May 18 : Inaugurating the National AYUSH Mission Conclave organized by the Ministry of AYUSH in Delhi, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said that the country is strengthening healthcare services by striving towards an Integrated Health Policy.

Lauding the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that envisages integrated healthcare services in the nation by synergizing the capacities and resources of both traditional and modern medicine, Mandaviya noted, "India is significantly strengthening its healthcare services by striving towards an Integrated Health Policy that will benefit not just the nation, but serve the world."

He elaborated further that the collaboration between modern and traditional medicine is striving towards establishing multiple systems of medicine at a single platform facilitating cross-referrals and enabling true integration of different systems of medicine.

Mandaviya commended the integration of Ayush systems in central government hospitals and further added, "To fully empower the present healthcare system, it is important to integrate Ayush into mainstream public healthcare delivery as this integration can offer a more comprehensive and holistic approach to patient care, combining the strengths of both conventional medicine and Ayush systems of healthcare."

Highlighting the importance and relevance of our heritage of Ayurveda and traditional principles Mandaviya stated, "India's heritage of traditional medicine advocates and adopts a holistic perspective towards health with a focus on wellness at its foundation."

Commending the initiatives of 'Heal by India' and 'Heal in India' that was well-received across the world, the Union Health Minister said that there is an increased inflow of patients from around the world who are travelling to India to receive treatment, and a rapidly growing demand for medical professionals from India trained both in modern and traditional medicine.

He further cited the development of the WHO-Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar, Gujarat, empowering India as a global leader in Traditional Medicine.

Thanking Mandaviya for the support extended in the momentum of Integrative Medicine, the Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, "Mainstreaming the potential of Ayush within a pluralistic system of integrative healthcare is being envisioned through the new initiatives of the Ministry of Ayush in collaboration with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare."

He further added, "National Ayush Mission (NAM) provides support to the state and union territories for co-location of Ayush facilities in Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs)."

Additionally, he cited that the provision for setting up integrated Ayush hospitals, and new Ayush dispensaries in various parts of the country are in the pipeline to facilitate easy accessibility and affordability of Ayush services for the masses.

The event witnessed the launch of Information and Communication Technology initiatives namely AHMIS (Ayush Health Management Information System) and eLMS (Education Learning Management System) by Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister and Sarbananda Sonowal, Union AYUSH Minister in the presence of Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Minister of State, AYUSH.

State Health Ministers who joined the meeting included Daya Shanker Mishra (Uttar Pradesh), R Lalthangliana (Mizoram), Alo-libang (Arunachal Pradesh), Keshab Mahanta (Assam), S Pangnyu Phom (Nagaland) and Banna Gupta (Jharkhand).

The event was also attended by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Advisor to the Lt. Governor of J&K and senior government officials.