Mainstreaming of Ayush is one of the core strategies in National Health Mission which seeks to provide accessible, affordable and quality health care to the population. Under National Health Mission (NHM), engagement of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) doctors/ paramedics is supported, provided they are co-located with existing District Hospitals (DHs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) with priority given to remote PHCs and CHCs. 

Mainstreaming of Ayush has been taken up in 13,222 Ayush facilities co-located under NHM (6,612 PHCs, 3,035 Community Health Centers (CHC), 469 Districts Hospitals (DH), 2,916 health facilities above Sub- Center (SC) but below block level and 190 health facilities other than CHC at or above block level but below district level). 27,421 AYUSH doctors and 4,581 AYUSH Paramedics are in-position in various co-located health facilities (as per NHM-MIS as on 31.12.2023).

As part of Ayushman Bharat, the Government is supporting the States for transformation of Sub Health Centres and Primary Health Centres into Health and Wellness Centres across the country for provision of Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) that includes preventive healthcare and health promotion at the community level with continuum of care approach in order to realize the goal of Universal Health coverage. Amongst these, some facilities are AYUSH- SHC or Ayush dispensaries. Ayush medicine is also a part of ASHA drug kit for management of primary conditions at the community level.

Further, North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Folk Medicine Research, located in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh has been established with a mandate to revitalize and promote Folk Healing practices & Folk medicine. The institute is engaged in documentation of ethnomedicinal practices and scientific validation of folk claims. Furthermore, the institute is also trying to develop capacity building among the traditional healers and organizing awareness camps for popularizing the potentiality of folk healing practices & folk medicine. Quality Council of India (QCI) is certifying Traditional Community Healthcare Providers (TCHP) under Voluntary Certification Scheme for Traditional Community Healthcare Providers (VCSTCHP).

This information was given by the Minister of State (IC) for Ayush Shri Pratap Rao Jadhav in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

SK