Author: Express News Service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: August 4, 2014
URL: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/health-policy-to-focus-on-yoga-ayurveda-minister/

The National Health Policy will have primary emphasis on the principles of Ayurveda and the Allopathy-centric focus of AIIMS-like institutes will have to accommodate Ayurveda, Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said Sunday. He was speaking after laying the foundation stone of Ramdev’s yoga museum.

“The old, Allopathy orientation of AIIMS is out of sync with the contemporary trend of integrating indigenous and Western forms of cure. That is why I wish to give yoga, along with Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy pride of place in the AIIMS system. All the six new AIIMS will be dynamic institutions of integrated medicine in the years to come,” Harsh Vardhan said. He added that for the first time since 1947, the government’s health policy is going to lay primary emphasis on the Ayurveda Siddhanta (principles).

Ever since he took over as the Union Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan has reiterated his commitment to bring the alternative systems of medicine into the mainstream. He has also voiced his appreciation of Ramdev’s work in the field of yoga and said that he is not averse to drafting him for the Health Ministry’s initiatives as he is “already doing the work of the Health Ministry”. He had detailed discussions with Ramdev on Sunday about research trends in modern science and clinical applications of yoga and Ayurveda.