What is AYUSH in India?

The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy (abbreviated as AYUSH) is purposed with developing education, research, and propagation of indigenous alternative medicine systems in India. As per a recent notification published in the Gazette of India on 13 April 2021, the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy), will now be known as the Ministry of Ayush. The Ministry of Ayush includes the seven traditional systems of healthcare.

Ministry of Ayush – Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homeopathy

Traditional & Non-Conventional Systems of Health Care and Healing Which Include Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy etc.

Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH) are the six Indian systems of medicine that are widely used and practised in India and certain adjacent Asian nations, with a few exceptions in developed countries. A department called the Department of Indian System of Medicine was established in March 1995 and renamed AYUSH in November 2003 with the goal of giving these systems more attention.

The Ministry of Ayush was established on November 9, 2014, with the goal of resurrecting profound knowledge of our ancient systems of medicine and guaranteeing the optimal growth and dissemination of Ayush healthcare systems. Previously, the Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM&H), established in 1995, was in charge of the development of these systems. In November 2003, it was renamed the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (Ayush), with an emphasis on education and research in Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy.

Institutions Under Ayush

The ministry is also at the aegis of several professional research institutes and academic faculties devoted to various forms of alternative medicine:

1. National Institute of Homeopathy – The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare established it as an autonomous body on December 10, 1975 in Kolkata. Homeopathy degree courses are offered (UG and PG) and are accredited with the West Bengal University of Health Sciences.
2. National Institute of Siddha – It was built in Chennai with an estimated cost of 470 million dollars and opened in November 2005. The idea, a joint venture between the Governments of India and Tamil Nadu, was authorised in principle during the ninth five-year plan period. The national offices of the Central Council of Research in Siddha is affiliated with the government-owned Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University (CCRS). Has an adjacent hospital, Ayothidoss Pandithar Hospital, where 2,174 patients were recorded each day on average (2017–18), and a 120-bed in-patient (IP) department. More additions are in the works.
3. National Institute of Unani Medicine – In 1984, the Government of India and the Government of Karnataka formed a joint venture in Bangalore. Initially, it provided research facilities, but in 2004, it began offering academic courses. It is associated with Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences and now provides postgraduate degrees (MD in Unani) in eight distinct specialisations.
4. National Research Institute for Panchakarma – Cheruthuruthy was founded in 1971. Provides professional and academic training as well as conducting research. The Ayush’s Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS) oversees the institute.
5. National Institute of Ayurveda – The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare created the Government Ayurvedic College, Jaipur in 1976 as a renovated expansion of the Government Ayurvedic College, Jaipur, which was founded by the Government of Rajasthan in 1946. It is affiliated with Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Rajasthan Ayurved University and provides research and academic opportunities.
6. All India Institute of Ayurveda – Established in 2009 in Delhi, it provides both research and academic opportunities. Atal Bihari Vajpayee came up with the idea. Runs the Rashtriya Ayurved Vidyapeeth, a secondary school.
7. National Institute of Naturopathy
8. Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga – Promotes Yoga philosophy while also facilitating advanced training and research. Under the auspices of the Vishwayatan Yogashram, the institute was founded in 1970 as a hospital by the now-defunct Central Council for Research in Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy. In 1976, the hospital was renamed the Central Research Institute for Yoga (CRIY) in order to give free yoga training and conduct research on the subject. The institute was renamed to its current name in 1988.
9. North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy – Mawdiangdiang, Shillong, was founded in 2016. Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery are four-and-a-half-year degree programmes.
10. North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine – The NEIFM, Pasighat is a self-contained institute under the Ministry of Ayush of the Indian Government. It’s in the Arunachal Pradesh town of Pasighat.

The ministry also monitors two semi-autonomous regulatory bodies:-

1. Central Council of Indian Medicine – One of the Professional Councils of the University Grants Commission (UGC) that oversees Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Sowa-Rigpa higher education. In these systems, it also provides professional benchmarks and procedures for medical practitioners.
2. Central Council of Homeopathy – One of the professional committees established by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to oversee higher education in homoeopathy. Homeopaths’ central registrations are kept up to date.