There is a quiet but important shift in how health is being understood. Beyond seeking clinical intervention, there is a growing concern about how well one lives after recovering from the illness, about regaining strength and quality of life over time.
Modern medicine has transformed outcomes in extraordinary ways. Its strengths in acute care, diagnostics and complex interventions remain unmatched. Yet, the nature of disease is changing. Much of what we now manage is chronic, lifestyle-linked and long-term. These conditions demand continuity, behavioural change and a more holistic understanding of the individual.
In recent years, the idea of Whole Person Health has gained greater prominence through the work of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health in the US. By framing health as the interplay of biological, behavioural, social and environmental factors across the life course, this perspective is particularly relevant in multimorbidity, where conditions cannot be managed in isolation, reinforcing the need for coordinated, person-centred care.
It is in this context that integrated medicine is beginning to assume greater relevance. India’s position in this conversation is both distinctive and deeply rooted. Ayurveda, one of our oldest knowledge systems, has long approached health as a state of dynamic balance between body, mind, soul and the environment inhabited. Its emphasis on prevention, individual constitution and sustained wellbeing offers a perspective that complements modern clinical care, particularly in the management of chronic conditions and rehabilitation.
The creation of the ministry of Ayush in 2014 has marked an important moment in formally recognising traditional systems within the national health framework. There has been a steady effort to strengthen education, standardisation and research, while expanding access through public health systems. Today, traditional medicine is used in many countries, with over 170 WHO member states reporting its use, and an estimated 80 per cent of the world’s population relying on it in some form.
This global interest is not just about returning to tradition, but it reflects a broader shift in health care toward prevention, personalisation and long-term wellbeing. Increasingly, these conversations are converging with principles that ayurveda has long articulated.
At the same time, the global discourse has become more exacting. There is a clear emphasis on evidence, safety and standardisation. The WHO’s work in advancing traditional and integrative medicine reflects this direction, focusing on building data, benchmarks and regulatory frameworks that can support credible integration. This is an important inflection point, and yet integration must be built with rigour. It requires clinical protocols that can be studied and replicated, outcomes that can be measured, and practitioners who understand both the strengths and the boundaries of different systems. Above all, it requires a consistent commitment to patient safety.
Within this evolving landscape, institutions are beginning to explore more structured models of integration. At Apollo Hospitals, our engagement with AyurVAID Hospitals, an award-winning precision ayurveda hospital chain, reflects a considered step in this direction, examining how clinically governed, evidence-oriented ayurveda can complement modern medicine, particularly in preventive, adjuvant, rehabilitative and promotive health care.
The larger implication, however, extends beyond any one initiative. Health cannot be defined only by the absence of disease. It is shaped equally by resilience, recovery and the ability to sustain wellbeing over time.
A system that addresses only the acute will always remain incomplete. Above all, this also underlines that India does not need to choose between its ancient medical heritage and its scientific progress. The opportunity is to bring them together with discipline, evidence and a clear sense of purpose.
That, I believe, is where the future of health care will be shaped.
Dr Preetha Reddy is Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited.