Soon, Ayurveda, Yoga may come as elective courses at AIIMS

The government is actively considering introducing Ayurveda and Yoga in premier institutes, such as AIIMS.- Ministry of AYUSH Secretary, VR Kotecha

Thiruvananthapuram: Ayurveda, Yoga might be offered as elective courses at premier medical institutions in the country including AIIMS, as the government seems to be mulling on the idea as a bid to promote integrated medicine to ensure best outcomes for patients.

Union Ayush secretary was seen pointing towards the plan during an event, last week, as per a recent report in New Indian Express.

"In future, medical students at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS will have the option to study Ayurveda and Yoga as elective courses," informed Secretary at Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha.

Soon, medical students at AIIMS will have an option to study these alternative medicine courses as a part of their curriculum. The Secretary informed the New Indian Express that the government is actively considering introducing Ayurveda and Yoga in premier institutes, such as AIIMS.

The plan was discussed during an event, 'National Colloquium on Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine for Lymphatic Filariasis', held recently at Kasargod-based Institute of Applied Dermatology (IAD) on January 16. Lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease. Infection occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes.

Integrative medicine is a combination of modern and alternative medicine. The AYUSH Secretary, an Ayurveda physician himself praised the system integrative medicine. He said, "Integrative medicine is a model which will give patients the best treatment."

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During the event, Secretary Mr Kotecha talked about the replication of the integrative protocol developed by the Institute of Applied Dermatology (IAD) to treat filariasis across the country. "The evidence suggests the protocol combining modern medicine, Ayurveda and Yoga is effective and can be replicated," he said.

He added that the AYUSH Ministry will "explore the possibilities" of replicating the integrative protocol. "They are able to reduce the inflammation of the leg by 70 to 90 per cent and improve the quality of life of the patients," he told The New Indian Express.

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Over a period of 3 years, AYUSH made simple interventions in hospitals in six districts in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. 10 lakh patients screened at these hospitals, 4 lakh were registered with diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. "We found all 3 lakh patients saw some degree of improvement and their dependence on medicine had decreased," he pointed out the benefit of integrative medicine.