Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan said the government was evolving a suitable policy framework to promote Ayurvedic education in order to meet the increasing demand for trained therapists.
Delivering the inaugural address at the first edition of the Global Ayurveda Summit here on Wednesday, he said the industry was facing a huge manpower shortage. The options being weighed by the government include promotion of Ayurvedic nursing in a big way.
Industry estimates peg that in India alone the demand for trained therapists exceeds 20,000. Mushrooming Ayurvedic spas in the US, Germany, Russia, Singapore and Malaysia and West Asian countries would demand trained therapists in several lakhs.
The chief minister, however, cautioned that Ayurveda needed to transform into a dynamic, scientifically-validated and evidence-based practice to make its impact felt.
Inadequate supply of skilled human resources for carrying out R&D, and lack of educational institutions, standards and regulations were some of key challenges facing the industry.
Health and tourism panel convenor of CII—Kerala S Sajikumar unveiled the GROW approach on the occasion. The GROW approach, according to him , stood for the globalisation of Ayurveda through responsible practices, organisational approach and wealth sharing. India has over 1.5 million practitioners of traditional medical system. There are about 7,800 manufacturing units, which require over 2,000 tonnes of medicinal plants annually as raw material.
In the global herbal medicines market, India’s share is less than 2 per cent while China accounts for 5 per cent. Ninety per cent of the international herbal medicine market is dominated by Japan and South Korea as they have the infrastructure and well-developed technologies, he added.