Govt mandates evidence-based research in Ayurveda to promote traditional systems of medicine in the world

he Union ministry of Ayush is now mandating the need for evidence based research in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani and Siddha medicines. The move is to increase the adoption of traditional systems of medicines and highlight the safety-efficacy of the drug compositions.

The government is also looking to set up a World Organisation of Traditional Medicine under the World Health Organisation with BRICS countries. The effort was to promote traditional systems of medicines in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. All these nations already had sound systems of local medicine use.

“We need to increase the research and development methods. This will lead to providing evidence based treatment protocols. In order to get the benefits of medicines, there is need to evaluate the methods of processing and the compositions of the products,” said Union minister for chemicals and fertilisers, Ananth Kumar.

In order to give a boost to the Ayush sector, the government with support of government of Karnataka organised a two-day BRICS Wellness Workshop in Bengaluru. Kumar who was the chief guest at the event said that Ayush was the healthcare delivery option that could augment the benefits of modern medicine or allopathy.

India has the potential to meet the needs of traditional medicine needs of the world. Now the country is a miniscule part of the WHO but when the World Organisation of Traditional Medicine is established then it could spur major representation on a global platform, he added.

Holistic and integrated healthcare systems synergise the best of all medical systems. Therefore at a platform which attracted BRICS nations, Kumar said that there was a need to form a world organisation of traditional medicine under the World Health Organisation. This is because the countries of Brazil. Russia, India, China and South Africa already had strong systems of local medicine that were in use, he said.

He urged the minister for Ayush Sripad Yesso Naik to discuss the need for forming a world organisation of traditional  medicine under the World Health Organisation with BRICS countries with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was the only way highlight the benefits of Ayush systems and on how the country has made considerable efforts to propagate the Indian Systems of Medicine nationally and internationally.

The event organised was a run up to the BRICS Summit scheduled in Goa on October 15 and 16, 2016 which will be attended by the heads of states of all 5 BRICS nations.

According to Ajit M Sharan, secretary, ministry of Ayush, India is charting a new path in Ayush. The potential of traditional medicine and the research capability is taking a new dimension. The way forward will be evidence based research. In this India had already signed up China and Russia. The need of the hour was also to ink a pact for IPR in traditional medicines.