‘Our vision is not alternative but integrative medicine’: Prataprao Jadhav

Interview/ Prataprao Jadhav, minister of state, ministry of Ayush

Q/ What is the ministry’s vision for integrating ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy with India’s public health?

All these Ayush departments are our ancient treatment methods, our ancient medicines. Our sages and saints discovered ayurveda and yoga almost 5,000 years ago after intense meditation and practice. They wrote major texts on them, which are still used in ayurveda today. Work continues on them.

So, these methods should be popularised and spread across the world. They are preventive and curative. The world should benefit from this. This is also the vision of our prime minister, and under his guidance, our ministry is working to take this across the world.

Our vision is not alternative but integrative medicine. As per our prime minister’s one nation, one health vision, we want to make Ayush the main pillar of our public health. A patient should get what is best for him. We are linking all these pathways into the National Health Grid so that Ayush is present from prevention to treatment.

Q/ Has Ayush reached every district?

So far, we have established about 12,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in villages across the country. And that number can still increase. We have started our integrated services in primary health centres (PHCs), community health centres (CHCs), sub-district hospitals and district hospitals. We are opening Ayush departments in all the AIIMS.

Q/ The biggest criticism of ayurveda and homoeopathy is that issues like quality and adulteration can arise. How do you plan to ensure quality?

Quality is non-negotiable for us. We have adopted a one herb, one standard policy. We have started many research initiatives to standardise them and ensure their safety. Research on this used to be less in the past. Through the WHO [Global Traditional Medicine] Centre that has opened in Jamnagar, our efforts to standardise this are underway. We have strengthened the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy so that our labs are of global standards. We are also promoting Ayush mark through Bureau of Indian Standards. Strict quality standards are being implemented so that patients can have trust in Ayush medicine.

Q/ Many companies manufacture Ayush drugs. Does the ministry audit these?

Absolutely. We have implemented Ayush Oushadhi Gunvatta Evam Utpadan Samvardhan Yojana. Samples of medicines manufactured by these companies are checked by labs. The Ayush department inspects all aspects to ensure that people receive good, standard quality medicine. We are focusing not just on penalty but capacity building as well. Our message is clear: if you want to remain relevant in the global market, then quality cannot be compromised.

Q/ Steroids are always found in herbal formulas. Many misleading claims are also being made. How does the ministry tackle this?

It is a serious issue. We have made a centralised online portal where people can register their complaints. Steroids are not allowed in our medicines. Our pharmacovigilance programme is very active. Whenever such incorrect substances are found in a sample or claims of magical remedies are made to sell steroid-based herbal medicine, strict action is taken against those people.

Q/ Critics say that clinical trials for Ayush medicines are lacking.

We welcome criticism, but the reality is changing. Till a few years ago, clinical trials were very rare in Ayush medicines. But we have significantly expanded its scope now. Under the guidance of our Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), we conduct trials on any new discovery or research made by any company. We have implemented Ayush Research Management Information System. We have thousands of peer-reviewed papers now. We are generating molecular-level evidence in labs and not just relying on old texts.

Q/ Does the Ayush department conduct joint research with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) or the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)?

Yes… we have signed a historic agreement with ICMR. We are doing joint clinical trials on illnesses like cancer and diabetes. For the first time in history, ayurveda experts and doctors of AIIMS are conducting joint research so that we can provide strong data and evidence to the world.

Q/ What is the ministry doing to expand the Ayush reach in districts and PHCs?

Our prime minister has repeatedly said that all health services should be integrated. We have no competition with allopathy, and allopathy has no competition with us. We are working together.

If we look at Ayush, there are good medicines and good treatments for many major diseases, and relief from ailments is increasing. The only thing our ministry needs to do now is to increase people’s trust. What we see today across the country is that if a disease is detected, people go for allopathy treatment first. Many patients come for ayurveda treatment after getting allopathy treatment and when there are not many options left. So, the patients who come for ayurveda arrive at the third or fourth stage. We want them to start ayurveda from the first stage, or better, not have them reach the first stage. They should adopt ayurveda, yoga treatments so that cancer or any other major illness does not occur. As I said earlier, it is preventive. We are also working on diet and lifestyle.

Our roadmap to reach out to PHCs is that of co-location. In states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu where Ayush was integrated at PHC level much earlier, we are getting good results in treating noncommunicable diseases. We are expanding this at the national level. Our goal is to have an Ayush wing in every district hospital.

Q/ Do Ayush medicines treat chronic problems like diabetes, arthritis or polycystic ovarian disease in women?

For almost all existing diseases, we have medicines in Ayush, and people use them. We have seen that since Covid-19, people’s trust in Ayush treatments and medicines has increased a bit, and our efforts to increase it are continuing. We have treatments to prevent the disease from happening. If it does happen, there are treatments to cure it, and the treatments done in ayurveda attempt to remove the disease from the root. Ayush medicines and treatment do not merely offer relief.

Q/ What is being done to upgrade Ayush curriculum? Is it possible for an Ayush doctor to integrate his system with that of modern diagnostics and modern medicine?

We are creating a bridge. New curriculum has modern anatomy, pathology and diagnostic in much more depth. We are teaching students how to corelate nadi pariksha or pulse diagnosis with MRI and blood reports so that [their diagnosis] will be rooted in their science but will have a modern scientific approach.

The Maharashtra government has introduced a six-month course [for Ayush doctors]. Their internship is also conducted in PHCs and CHCs for one year. The state government has also given them permission to practise allopathy within certain limited parameters.

Q/ But the medical association in Maharashtra has opposed it.

The opposition existed for a long time, but now it has decreased. The state government has given permission to ayurveda doctors and recently to homoeopathy doctors to practise limited allopathy.

Q/ What is the ministry doing for the global reach of Ayush products?

When our medicine or product goes abroad, people demand evidence. They ask for research. So, we have to provide proof. Previously, research and medical trials were less common. Our medicines often went abroad categorised mostly as supplementary food. The WHO is currently researching and verifying the authenticity, proven efficacy and strength of our medicines. Moving forward, many of our medicines will reach the global level as actual medicines. We are working on understanding their conditions and how we can take steps to introduce our medicines there, as these medicines are good and have no side effects. The ministry is making full efforts here so that patients across the world can benefit from this.

We have also formed Ayush Export Promotion Council. We are sending products to more than 150 countries. Our strategy is regulatory harmonisation. We are training our manufacturing sector to follow US FDA and European Union standards. We are promoting medical tourism through Ayush visa and bringing patients from abroad to India.

Q/ What is the ministry doing so that Ayush gets scientific credibility abroad, like yoga has?

Yoga has opened the door. Now ayurveda, naturopathy and siddha are going global. Other branches, too, will progress. We are establishing Ayush Academic Chairs in foreign universities. We are doing clinical trials with the help of local regulatory bodies. When Stanford or Harvard publishes ayurvedic research, then the global outlook changes. We are working towards that goal.

Q/ Not all Ayush treatments receive insurance coverage. How can this be improved?

Currently, some of our Ayush packages are covered by insurance, and some are also available in the Central Government Health Scheme. The Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India has given clear directives to insurance companies to cover Ayush medicine as well. This is a big victory. And we are making efforts to include our packages in the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. Many meetings between officials from our health department and Ayush department have taken place. The goal is that the Rs5 lakh insurance coverage should be available to Ayush hospitals and patients receiving Ayush treatment.

Q/ What reforms do you want to bring about in Ayush?

Our ministry is new. Unfortunately, no previous government paid attention to it. Before that, outsiders who came and ruled us also tried to suppress our traditional methods. They tried to impose their system on us. But since 2014, we have been working a lot on this.

If we want to expand Ayush far and wide, we first need to supply medicines everywhere. Earlier, the doctors, be it ayurveda, unani or homoeopathy, would make the medicines themselves. Now, the new generation of doctors don’t put in that much effort. That is why we insist on an Ayush Oushadhi Kendra in every village. All branded ayurveda, homoeopathy, unani and siddha medicines should be kept there. Raw materials should also be kept. In ayurveda, many of our treatments are home remedies. Raw material is needed for that. Currently, general stores keep it, but there is no guarantee of its purity. Our effort is to establish Oushadhi Kendras on a public-private partnership mode.

Digitisation and data are our priority. We will implement Ayush Grid all over India so that patients’ data is available. Another priority is to link farmers with Ayush ministry. Our traditional medicine is closely linked to healthy lifestyle, rural economy and livelihood of farmers. Farming of medicinal herbs has less risk and it is environment friendly. It will increase farmers’ income and create employment opportunities. Planned farming of medicinal herbs and plants is the need of the hour, and Ayush ministry will play a crucial role in this.