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Govt must make budgetary provision for inclusion of Ayurveda in AB-PMJAY: Rajiv Vasudevan
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Shardul Nautiyal, Mumbai
January 17 , 2026
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The Government of India must make a separate budgetary provision for inclusion of Ayurveda-Ayush in the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) programme to boost public health. This is imperative from the public health perspective so that effective secondary and tertiary prevention is covered and out-of-pocket expenses of the common man, currently at an estimated 48% of total spend, is significantly reduced, recommends Rajiv Vasudevan, MD, CEO & founder, Apollo AyurVAID.
Over the last few years, the government has made sustained and visible efforts to build awareness and credibility for the Ayush medical system, both within India and globally. Ministry of Ayush’s own research initiatives as well as collaborations with World Health Organisation (WHO), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), etc. signal a clear intent to move towards evidence-based integration.
Vasudevan further adds, “However, translating this intent into substantial reality shall require dedicated investment commitments of the order of a minimum of Rs. 500 crore per year over the next 5 years whereby robust evidence is built for Ayurveda as treatment of choice for select medical conditions starting with conditions such as diabetes, Parkinson’s, osteoarthritis-knee, lumbar spondylosis and sciatica in addition to gut health, sleep health, etc.”
“This provision should be to set up a separate moonshot mission for evidence building fostering strategic public-private partnerships just as DBT has successfully demonstrated in the biotechnology sector over the last two decades. Not only shall this reduce healthcare spends for the government in the medium term with elective surgery and emergency care reduced/obviated, but it will also be welcomed by society at large,” Vasudevan concludes.
Apollo AyurVAID Hospitals is India’s leading chain of protocols-driven, precision Ayurveda hospitals and integrative care centres for chronic disease reversal/management, and sustained wellbeing. Since its inception in 2005, Apollo AyurVAID is working towards transforming Ayurveda into a mainstream system of medicine with Ayurveda hospitals and clinics spread across Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Kochi, Almora and Hyderabad and soon expanding to Mumbai and other major Indian cities.
Founded in 2005 and part of the Apollo group since 2022, Apollo AyurVAID is formalising Ayurveda-led integrative care, developing a unique care model that combines Ayurveda medical science with clinical rigour. The chain of hospitals has demonstrated an impactful model of seamless, integrative care across specialties including neurology, oncology, nephrology, obstetrics and gynaecology, and metabolic disorders, with a focus on adjuvant therapy, palliative care, rehabilitation. Apollo AyurVAID’s unique ‘Whole Person Care’ approach considers the whole person to treat multimorbidity, not just at symptom level but at root-cause level, and supports health across the entire life cycle, from prevention and treatment to rehabilitation, survivorship and wellbeing.
It is the first and only Ayurveda institution to receive the prestigious QCI DL Shah National Quality Award (2012), Apollo AyurVAID is also India’s first NABH-accredited Ayurveda hospital (2010). It is also the first to gain NABH accreditation for Ayurveda para surgery (2013) and five hospitals in its countrywide network are NABH-accredited. In 2023, it became the first and only QAI-accredited Ayurveda and integrative medicine-based Transition Care Centre in India.
It has recently launched ‘Tested Safe’ Ayurveda classical medicines--a pioneering first globally whereby consumers may ascertain safety of medicine by scanning a QR code on each bottle-label and see the test report applicable to that bottle.
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