Parliamentary Panel calls for wider AYUSH coverage, price regulation and rural outreach
New Delhi: The 176th Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has recommended a wide range of measures to make AYUSH healthcare more affordable, accessible and evidence-based. The recommendations focus on insurance coverage, medicine prices, rural outreach, infrastructure, workforce development, digital health and integration with conventional healthcare.
The report titled “Affordability and Accessibility of Healthcare Facilities in Public and Private Sector” was presented in the Parliament on August 7, 2026, chaired by Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav. The report examines the affordability and accessibility of healthcare across India, covering issues related to public and private healthcare, treatment costs, insurance, infrastructure, medical workforce, regulation and quality of services.
The Ministry of AYUSH informed the Committee that the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) is being implemented through States and Union Territories to strengthen AYUSH systems and reduce out-of-pocket expenditure. NAM supports infrastructure, medicines, manpower, Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, co-location of AYUSH services at PHCs, CHCs and District Hospitals, upgrading hospitals and dispensaries, establishing new facilities and colleges in underserved areas, and implementing public-health and IEC/BCC programmes.
AYUSH Inclusion Under AB-PMJAY
The Committee recommended the immediate formalisation of comprehensive AYUSH treatment packages under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). The Ministry informed the panel that consultations with the National Health Authority are underway.
The panel also noted IRDAI's January 31, 2024 guidelines advising insurers to provide cashless AYUSH treatment with 100% reimbursement up to the insured sum. It called for strict monitoring of insurers to reduce administrative delays and additional out-of-pocket payments.
Under CGHS, 54 private AYUSH Day Care Centres operate in Delhi-NCR and 68 private AYUSH IPD hospitals are empanelled across the country. The Committee recommended extending empanelment of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani and Siddha centres and hospitals to all CGHS-covered cities, linked to NABH accreditation.
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Price Regulation and Affordable Medicines
The Committee noted that no statutory price-control mechanism currently exists for AYUSH drugs in the open market. It recommended a comprehensive framework to cap prices of essential and widely prescribed AYUSH medicines.
It also called for updated, uniform benchmark rates for AYUSH therapies under insurance schemes. The Ministry is revising its 2016 insurance guidelines for AYUSH treatment rates and claim settlement.
The panel further recommended regional herbal cultivation clusters, decentralised processing and greater support for GMP-certified MSME pharmacies to stabilise raw-material supplies and reduce medicine costs.
Expanding AYUSH at the Grassroots
The Ministry reported that around 13,093 public health facilities provide AYUSH services, including 12,319 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, supported by more than 24,600 AYUSH doctors, 3,700 pharmacists and 2,300 allied professionals.
The Committee recommended the mandatory co-location of AYUSH facilities with government allopathic centres, PHCs, CHCs and District Hospitals and population-based expansion of AYUSH facilities. It also called for institutionalising satellite clinics and strengthening services in rural, tribal and vulnerable areas.
NAM-supported programmes include SUPRAJA for maternal and neonatal care, VAYO MITRA for geriatric healthcare, AYURVIDYA for schoolchildren, KARUNYA for palliative care, mobile medical units for remote areas, and AYUSH interventions under the lymphatic filariasis morbidity management and disability prevention programme.
Outreach Through AYUSH Institutions
The Committee highlighted outreach by national institutes and research councils. CCRUM provides Unani services through 21 clinical institutes and units, including general, reproductive and child health, geriatric and NCD clinics, along with health camps, mobile programmes and extension centres.
CCRS operates nine peripheral institutes and units and provides Siddha services through specialised OPDs, health camps, awareness programmes and eSanjeevani teleconsultations.
NEIAH, Shillong, provides Ayurveda and Homoeopathy services, has a rural OPD at Smit Village, supplies medicines subject to availability, has adopted five villages and conducts tribal-health research. NIH provides Homoeopathy OPD services with a Rs 5 registration fee including medicines, operates a 100-bed hospital and plans expansion to 250 beds. NISR runs a 10-bed teaching hospital, while ITRA, Jamnagar, operates satellite and extension clinics at community and institutional locations.
The Committee also recommended replicating free-healthcare outreach models through partnerships with CPSEs and private stakeholders, including CSR-supported camps and mobile clinics.
Jan Aushadhi Network and Digital Healthcare
The Ministry said it is exploring the use of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras for AYUSH medicines through co-branding. The Committee urged rapid, time-bound implementation so quality-tested AYUSH medicines can become more widely available.
It also recommended nationwide integration of eSanjeevani and comprehensive hospital-management systems across AYUSH dispensaries and clinical units to expand teleconsultation, e-prescriptions and remote access.
Training and AYUSH Workforce
Under the Ayurgyan Scheme, Rs 16.76 crore has been released for training and CME programmes benefiting more than 5,000 AYUSH personnel.
AIIA has trained 1,080 Ayurvedic professionals, while its Ayurveda Nursing Skill Upgradation Programme has trained 110 nurses. NEIAH also conducts a one-year Panchakarma Technician Certificate Course with an annual intake of 20 students.
The Committee recommended formal diploma and certificate programmes for allied AYUSH workers, including Panchakarma technicians and AYUSH-specialised nurses, along with increased funding for decentralised training.
Global AYUSH and Medical Value Travel
The Ministry highlighted the Ayush Medical Value Travel Summit 2024, held in Mumbai on September 30, 2024, and the dedicated Ayush Visa, introduced on July 27, 2023, for foreign nationals seeking AYUSH treatment.
The Ministry has also established 24 Country-to-Country MoUs, 15 Ayush Chair MoUs, 51 Institute-to-Institute MoUs and 43 Ayush Information Cells worldwide. The Committee recommended stronger quality regulation of commercial AYUSH wellness centres and clinical spas through mandatory ISO/BIS-based accreditation, public price disclosure and transparent tariffs.
It also proposed an Ayush Public Healthcare Equity Fund, under which accredited AYUSH medical-value-travel facilities could contribute a designated share of foreign-patient revenue towards subsidising treatment, diagnostics and medicines for economically disadvantaged Indian patients.
Strengthening AYUSH Within the Public Health System
Stakeholders told the Committee that AYUSH should be more closely integrated with Health and Wellness Centres and mainstream healthcare, with greater financial and human resources, wider outreach, scientific validation and appropriate training.
The Committee recommended the mandatory co-location of AYUSH services alongside government allopathic facilities, population-based AYUSH infrastructure, expanded research partnerships with institutions such as AIIMS, ICMR and IITs, and stronger evidence-based integration.
It also recommended scaling AI-ACIHR centres to major tertiary hospitals, strengthening quality control, and developing a trained workforce capable of working across healthcare systems.
The recommendations collectively seek to move AYUSH beyond isolated services towards a more integrated healthcare model, while addressing affordability, accessibility, quality, workforce shortages, research gaps and regional disparities.
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