Govt to launch AYUSH visa for traditional medical tourism, set up parks

To launch AYUSH mark for standardisation of products in traditional medicine

In a bid to boost medical tourism in traditional medicine, India is set to offer special visas for those travelling to the country to avail AYUSH treatment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Wednesday at a global business event on AYUSH here.

Inaugurating the three-day Global AYUSH Investment and Innovation Summit at Mahatma Mandir in the state capital, Modi said that the government will also soon launch an 'AYUSH mark' for standardisation and authentication of quality AYUSH products in the global market.

"We are working towards this by connecting farmers to better managed supply chains for medicinal plants that will empower them and provide employment opportunities. Additionally, the Ayush Mark, which will adorn Made in India products and will symbolize high quality products. An Ayush visa category will increase the ease of people to commute for Ayush related treatment," Modi said at the event.

Apart from Modi, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and World Health Organisation (WHO) director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus were also present at the Global Ayush Investment & Innovation Summit 2022. Others who attended included central and state ministers, MLAs, ambassadors, foreign dignitaries, investors and industry experts.

AYUSH, which stands for Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy, also saw the launch of a dedicated portal for the recently formed AYUSH Export Promotion Council by Modi along with the dignitaries.

Technology will be used to vet AYUSH products before being given the standardisation mark. "Traditional medicine helped Kerala increase its tourism. This ability is with the whole of the country. The 'Heal in India' can be a big trend of this decade. Wellness centres based on Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha can be popular," Modi said.

Further, the government is also set to create a network of AYUSH Parks to encourage research and boost indigenous manufacturing of traditional medicinal products. Modi also talked about work on modernization and expansion of the AYUSH e-market portal by the government to connect farmers growing medicinal plants with companies which make AYUSH products.

Talking about the growth of the traditional medicines sector under AYUSH, Modi said that the same grew from less than $3 billion before 2014 to more than $18 billion today. "I foresee AYUSH's growth in the coming years."

In a bid to promote a startup culture in the traditional medicine sector, the government has also set up an incubation centre developed by the All India Institute of Ayurveda, said Modi. "Today is an era of unicorns among startups. In 2022 alone, so far 14 startups in the country have joined the unicorn club. I am sure unicorns will emerge from AYUSH startups soon," he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Modi, Jugnauth and Ghebreyesus had laid the foundation stone for the upcoming WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine which the organisation's director general termed as a game changer for the sector.

Commenting about next year when WHO would turn 75 and India would be celebrating its 75th year of independence, Ghebreyesus said, "Prime Minister Modi proposed that we jointly hold an annual international meeting on traditional medicine in Gujarat. So, for traditional medicine, Gujarat will be a pilgrimage center, and that’s what we see, to which I agreed. It’s a very important idea. People working on this should meet on a regular basis."

Meanwhile, Jugnauth said that both Mauritius and India shared the same traditional medicine values even as the former had a legal framework for the sector through an Act.

"In Mauritius, the practice of Ayush’s medicinal systems is popular and fully recognized. We have recognized that traditional medicine complements scientific medicine and represents healthy living and promotion of good health. With the Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit, I wish for the interactive themes on yoga, Ayurveda and traditional medicine to broaden the scope of Ayush medicine in the region at large," Jugnauth added.