Integration of Ayush in India's health system: context, opportunities and challenges

Integration of Ayush in India's health system: context, opportunities and challenges

In India there are efforts to make the public health system more diverse by combining traditional healing methods such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (all known as Ayush) with modern medical care. This is a significant change in health policy that creates new opportunities to explore the cooperation between conventional medical approaches and alternative healing methods. The aim is to create a health system that accepts and integrated several medical traditions side by side.

The implementation of this policy depends heavily on local conditions, be it social beliefs or political framework conditions that influence how this innovative approach is put into practice. A qualitative case study has examined how different circumstances influence Integration and what scope the practitioners have in this context.

The results of the investigation indicate that administrative structures in the areas of health administration and facilities make access to Ayush medication more difficult. At the community level, however, the acceptance of traditional methods in rural areas facilitates integration into formal health care. In addition, professional organizations and the media play a crucial role by holding health services responsible and supporting the integrative process.

Possible future developments:

If the integration of Ayush successfully progresses into the formal health system, this could lead to a broader acceptance and a larger offer of complementary treatment methods. This could make health care in India more diverse and more accessible, especially in rural areas where traditional healing methods are already popular. Furthermore, an effective interaction of the different systems could improve the quality of care and patient satisfaction.

Basic terms and concepts:

• ayush: an acronym that stands for Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy.
• Integration: The process of integrating traditional healing methods into modern medical care.
• biomedicine: The conventional Western medicine based on scientific knowledge.
• complementary and alternative medicine: medical approaches that are also used or as an alternative to conventional medicine.
• Health system hierarchies: structural layers within a health system that shape power and decision-making powers.

Integration of Ayush in India's health system: contextual influences and challenges

This research study examines the integration of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) in the public health system of India, whereby the focus on the complex interactions with conventional biomedical care and the contextual influences that shape this process.

important contextual influences

• administration and health institutions: existing administrative systems as well as resource and capacity deficiencies limit access to Ayush medication and the cooperation opportunities between biomedical and Ayush doctors.
• municipal and social acceptance: in rural areas, Ayush is increasingly accepted, which facilitates integration into formal health care. Professional organizations and media play a supportive role in the accountability of health services.

agency of practicers

The study shows that Ayush practitioners navigate the hierarchies of the health system within these contextual influences. They encounter challenges regarding system knowledge against the background of medical dominance in the system.

conflicts and synergies

The implementation of an integrative health policy is closely associated with the specific local, social and political contexts, which significantly influence the effects of the interventions. Despite the challenges, integration offers opportunities for synergies between conventional and complementary medicine.

The results of this case study provide valuable insights into the practical implementation of health policy in pluralistic systems. The integration of Ayush can serve as a model for other countries that pursue similar integrative approaches. Detailed results and discussions can be found in the full study at: https://pubmed.nlm.nih.gov/3722411