The acceptance for traditional medicines is growing, owing to multiple benefits offered by them. However, there are several challenges in its adoption at large scale. Discuss.
India has been a frontrunner in traditional medicines, since time of Shushruta, Charak & Patanjali. Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) has been formed to promote them in India and at world level as well.
Growing Acceptance:
- Mainstreaming of wellness due to double disease incidence, i.e. diabetes, cancer, lifestyle diseases.
- Increased use of Immunity supplements during Covid pandemic, like Ayush Kadha.
- Knowledge about harms of excessive use of antibiotics and anti microbial resistance.
- Preference for natural products.
However, it faces several hurdles in wide scale adoption:
- Protest by ICMR initially against induction of shalya as surgery.
- Allopathic systems treat it as non-scientific and placebo.
- Lack of international consensus on Ayurvedic surgeries.
- Pharma lobby versus AYUSH.
- Lack of R&D for scientific utility of Indian traditional medicine.
While challenges for wide scale adoption remain, AYUSH has great utilities especially in bridging the healthcare gap in rural areas and needs more R&D to boost acceptance.
Topics: GS-II: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in Various Sectors • GS-II: Social Sector Services Health