Ministry of AYUSH

Ministry of AYUSH is a branch of the Government of India which was formed to develop education, research, and propagation of indigenous alternative medicine systems in India. The acronym AYUSH stands for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. The Ministry was established on 9th November 2014, earlier being part of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

History

The Ministry of AYUSH was formed to ensure the optimal development and propagation of AYUSH systems of healthcare. Originally, the department was called the Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H) and was created in March 1995. It was renamed as the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in November 2003, with a focus on education and research in Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy.

Functions and Responsibilities

The primary responsibility of the Ministry of AYUSH is to promote, propagate, and develop the traditional systems of health and medicine in India. It also works on the upgrade of educational standards, quality control, and standardization of drugs. The Ministry also handles the accreditation of Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani, and Homeopathy medical colleges and encourages the establishment of specialized AYUSH hospitals across the country.

Initiatives

The Ministry of AYUSH has launched various initiatives to promote AYUSH medical systems. These include the National AYUSH Mission, which aims to provide cost-effective AYUSH services, strengthening the educational systems, facilitating the enforcement of quality control of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathy drugs, and sustainable availability of raw materials. It also focuses on the promotion of AYUSH knowledge through international collaborations.

International Day of Yoga

One of the significant achievements of the Ministry of AYUSH has been the declaration of June 21 as the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly. The proposal was put forward by the Prime Minister of India, and the day aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga.

Criticism and Challenges

The Ministry of AYUSH has faced criticism, particularly from the scientific community, regarding the promotion of drugs and therapies that lack rigorous scientific validation. There are concerns about the efficacy of some AYUSH treatments and the risk of pseudoscience in healthcare.

See Also

• Healthcare in India
• Traditional Medicine
• National Health Mission