ABOUT THE SCHEME: Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has launched National AYUSH Mission (NAM) during 12th Plan for implementing through States/Uts. The basic objective of NAM is to promote AYUSH medical systems through cost effective AYUSH services, strengthening of educational systems, facilitate the enforcement of quality control of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani & Homoeopathy (ASU &H) drugs and sustainable availability of ASU & H raw-materials. It is a centrally sponsored scheme and envisages flexibility of implementation of the programmes which will lead to substantial participation of the State Governments/UT.
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Vision |
Objectives |
| 1. To provide cost effective and equitable AYUSH health care throughout the country by improving access to the services.
2. To revitalize and strengthen the AYUSH systems making them as prominent medical streams in addressing the health care of the society. 3. To establish a holistic wellness model based on AYUSH principles and practices 4. To improve educational institutions capable of imparting quality AYUSH education. 5. To promote the adoption of Quality Control of ASU&H Drugs and making available the sustained supply of AYUSH raw-materials. |
1. To provide cost effective AYUSH Services, with a universal access through upgrading AYUSH Hospitals and Dispensaries, co-location of AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs). 2. To establish a holistic wellness model based on AYUSH principles and practices to empower masses for ‘self-care’ to reduce the disease burden, out of pocket expenditure and to provide informed choice to the needy public. 3. To strengthen institutional capacity at the state level through upgrading AYUSH educational institutions, State Govt. ASU&H Pharmacies, Drug Testing Laboratories and ASU & H enforcement mechanism. 4. Support cultivation of medicinal plants by adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) so as to provide sustained supply of quality raw-materials and support certification mechanism for quality standards, Good Agricultural/Collection/Storage Practices. 5. Support setting up of clusters through convergence of cultivation, warehousing, value addition and marketing and development of infrastructure for entrepreneurs. |
COMPONENTS OF THE SCHEME:
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Mandatory Components |
Flexible Components |
Of the total resource pool available, 80% funds will be available for this component.
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Out of the total State envelop available, 20% funds will be earmarked for flexible funds which can be spent on any of the items given below with the stipulation that not more than 5% of the envelop is spent on the components such as:
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Salient features:
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- It is a centrally sponsored scheme.
- The financial assistance from Government of India shall be supplementary in the form of contractual engagements, infrastructure development, Capacity Building and supply of medicines to be provided from Department of AYUSH. This will ensure better implementation of the programme through effective co-ordination and monitoring.
- Monitoring and Evaluation – Dedicated MIS monitoring and evaluation cell would be established at Centre/ State level.
- AYUSH Gram: One village per block will be selected where AYUSH based lifestyles are promoted.
- 10% of the Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs) of the Ayushman Bharat Scheme shall be operationalized by the Ministry of AYUSH through State / UT Governments. Therefore, some AYUSH Dispensaries under NAM will be upgraded as AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres.
- Subsidy is being given to farmers for cultivation of medicinal plants.
- Performance-based budgeting– In order to incentivize good performing States/Uts, performance-based budgeting has been made. For this purpose, 20% of total allocation of Flexi pool budget may be earmarked and this fund will be allocated to good performing States/Uts in the same proportion in which main budget of NAM is allocated.
- A dedicated NAM web portal to achieve MIS based monitoring and evaluation.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
Major activities supported under NAM from 2014-15 to 2022-23 : –
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- 137 units supported for setting up of Integrated AYUSH hospitals.
- 315 Ayush Hospitals and 5023 Ayush drugstores have been supported for Up-gradation of infrastructure and other
- 2375 PHCs, 713 CHCs and 306 DHs have been supported under co-location for recurring assistance of drugs.
- 895 Ayush Hospitals and 12194 Ayush dispensaries have been supported for supply of essential Ayush medicines on an average in each year.
- 13 units supported for establishment of New Ayush Educational Institutions.
- 7 Under-Graduate and 35 Post-Graduate AYUSH Educational Institutes have been supported for upgrading infrastructure.
- 2813 Yoga Wellness Centres have been supported.
- 12500 Ayush Health &Wellness Centres have been supported.
- 692 Ayush grams have been supported.
ISSUES:
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- Low fund utilisation. For example, in 2022-23, 85% of the funds from the revised stage were utilised.
- The Standing Committee noted that more than 69% of integrated Ayush Hospitals approved under the Mission are still under construction. Moreover, only 65% of Ayush Health and Wellness centres have been established.
- Implementation delays due to-
- Late allocation of funds
- Overlapping functions between entities
- Delays in submitting utilisation certificates
- Inadequate administrative setup
- The finalisation of State Annual Action Plan (SAAP) and its approval process takes longer.
BEST PRACTICES:
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- CHINA – Traditional medicine forms an integral part of public healthcare system. Efforts to ensure last mile coverage through village clinics.
- KOREA – They promotes full integration of western and oriental medicine through clinical cooperation, training and employment of oriental practioners in public hospitals.
- AFRICA- They follow parallel model where herbal medicines are prescribed and dispenced
WAY FORWARD:
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- Strengthening manpower and training: Upgrading infrastructure and providing training opportunities for Ayush practitioners at HWCs can enhance their research skills and capacity to participate in clinical trials.
- Establishing research networks: Collaboration among Ayush facilities and institutions can facilitate multicentric clinical trials and improve research quality.
- Standardisation of protocols and interventions to ensure data consistency and enable robust clinical research.
- Community Engagement to address specific needs and ensure culturally relevant research outcomes.
- Evidence Recording: Data gathered and generated in centres should be recorded and publicised. The clinically supported research and peer-reviewed articles should be placed in Ayush and allopathic medical colleges for better outreach, understanding, and coordination.
- Capacity Building and Training by providing specialised training to the State Program Management Unit (SPMU) and District Program Management Unit (DPMU) staff to enhance their skills in managing Ayush programs effectively.
- Timely Operationalisation of AHWCs:
- Develop a detailed timeline and action plan for the establishment and operationalisation of Ayush Health and Wellness Centers (AHWCs).
- Collaborate with local health authorities, NGOs, and community leaders to streamline the process and address any local-level challenges hindering the timely set up of AHWCs.
- Regular Monitoring and Evaluation by conducting regular site visits, inspections, and performance assessments to identify and address operational delays promptly.
- Streamlining Documentation Process through clear guidelines and templates for the submission of completed and audited Utilisation Certificates (Ucs) along with relevant documents.
- Financially Incentivise states/Uts that demonstrate exemplary performance in the timely establishment of administrative setups, AHWCs, and submission of required documentation.
- Regular Communication and Reporting:
- Establish a transparent and regular communication system between the Ministry of Ayush and State/UT Governments for timely reporting of progress and challenges faced.
- Encourage open dialogue to address issues promptly and share best practices among different regions.
- Financial assistance as Subsidies to farmers to encourage the Cultivation of herbs/medicinal plants.
CONCLUSION:
National Ayush mission promotes focused approach for development of traditional medicines in healthcare sector, along with development of pharma industry as around 40% of pharmaceutical products today are drawn from nature and traditional knowledge, including drugs like aspirin, artemisinin, and childhood cancer treatments. Thus, mission enhances the availability, accessibility and quality of Ayush healthcare services.
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