Parliamentary committee calls for Allopathy-AYUSH integration

New Delhi: A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has advised the Ministry of AYUSH to strive towards integrating healthcare facilities through collaboration between the Modern and Indian systems of medicine.

Expressing its dissatisfaction with the "half-hearted approach" of the Ministry in opening up more AYUSH Centres in AIIMS and other Government Institutes of the country, the panel has advised that Departments of AYUSH should be set up in all AIIMS across the country in a time-bound manner with adequate manpower and resources.

These observations were made by the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare in its 168th report. In this report, the panel discussed the action taken by the Government on the recommendations of the Panel made in its 165th report on "Demands for Grants 2025-206 (Demand No. 4) of the Ministry of AYUSH". The panel, headed by Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav, presented its report in the Rajya Sabha in mid-December.

Taking note of the efforts made by the Ministry regarding the integration of AYUSH with the modern medicine system, the Parliamentary Panel recommended, "The Committee expresses its dissatisfaction with the half hearted approach of the Ministry to opening up more Ayush Centre in AIIMS and other Government Institutes of the country. The Committee thus reiterates that Department of Ayush be setup in all AIIMS across the country in a time bound manner with adequate manpower and resources as necessary for the smooth running of the department for better service of the public."

"The Committee further recommends that a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Ayush and Union Ministry of Health to establish a pluralistic healthcare system to enhance healthcare delivery, promote well-being and preserve traditional knowledge of medicine," it further suggested.

Even though the panel appreciated the action taken by various bodies under AYUSH in implementation of its recommendation to bring into existence a "cooperative and collaborative synthesis between allopathy" and the AYUSH system of medicine.

However, the Committee expresses concern that still some of the institutes/bodies under the AYUSH has in their action taken just mentioned "noted" or just expressed agreement with the Committee's recommendation or speaking in future tense without mentioning any steps that has actually been taken on their end to implement the panel's recommendation at present.

"The Committee is of the considered view, keeping in consideration the cherished goals of the Ministry to have integrated healthcare wherein Ayush and Allopathy go hand in hand to put Indian Healthcare at a commanding position in the world," suggested the Committee.

In the report, the panel has reiterated that a separate centre AYUSH may also be set up in the Parliament Complex for treatment of MPs, Ex-MPs and Employees and Ex-Employees of Sansad that would not only ensure treatment of Members of Parliament through Ayush System but would ensure the popularization/awareness of Ayush to each constituency as the Member of Parliament would prove a harbinger to awareness of common masses across the country.

The panel, in its previous report, had opined that there should be an "institutional mechanism to bring the two systems of medicines on a common platform."

"The Committee desires that through this institutional mechanism, regular joint meetings between the M/o Ayush and M/o Health & Family Welfare, NMC and NCISM, NCH and Ayush Research Councils may be held to settle the grey areas and resolve the issues affecting health policy formulation and implementation strategies. The Committee strongly recommends that instead of antagonistic relationship, there should be cooperative and collaborative approach and cohesive equilibrium between the Ayush and Allopathy so that integrated and coordinated efforts may be made for treatment of various diseases," the Committee had earlier recommended.

Also Read: NMC Integrates ICMR Research Principles into MBBS, MD, MS & PhD Curricula