Ayush-Based Medical and Wellness
Tourism in India
Prelims:
Government
Schemes and Initiatives
Mains:
GS Paper
II-Government Policies and Interventions, GS Paper III-Science and Technology
Current
affairs:
The Government has outlined a comprehensive strategy to promote
Ayush-based tourism and Medical Value Travel (MVT) through a national
roadmap, a dedicated Ayush Visa, institutional collaboration, research
support, quality assurance, international standardisation and financial
assistance, with significant Ayush research and healthcare initiatives being
undertaken in Kerala.
Highlights:
National Strategy for
Ayush-Based Tourism:
1.
The Ministry
of Tourism, in consultation with other Ministries including the Ministry
of Ayush, has formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and
Wellness Tourism.
2.
The initiative
seeks to promote India's traditional systems of medicine as part of the
country's medical and wellness tourism ecosystem.
3.
A separate Ayush
Visa category was introduced on 27 July 2023 to facilitate
international visitors travelling to India for Ayush-based treatments.
Institutional Collaboration:
1.
The Ministry
of Ayush signed an MoU with the India Tourism Development Corporation
(ITDC) under the Ministry of Tourism to jointly promote Medical Value
Travel in Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine.
2.
Medical Value
Travel Summits were organised for the Western Zone in Mumbai in 2024 and
the Southern Zone in Chennai in 2025 to strengthen India's position in
this sector.
Ayush Research Ecosystem in
Kerala:
1.
Homoeopathy
Research
The National
Homoeopathy Research Institute in Mental Health (NHRIMH), Kottayam, under
the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), is currently
undertaking 34 research programmes.
2.
Ayurveda
Research
Two institutions under the Central
Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) operate in Kerala:
i.
National
Ayurveda Research Institute for Panchakarma (NARIP), Cheruthuruthy
ii.
Regional
Ayurveda Research Institute (RARI), Thiruvananthapuram
Research activities include Medico-Ethno
Botanical Surveys, ethno-dietary studies, medicinal-plant phytodiversity
inventories and medicinal-plant cultivation programmes.
3.
Unani and Siddha
Research
i.
The Clinical
Research Unit of CCRUM at Edathala provides healthcare services in
geriatric, reproductive and non-communicable disease sectors.
ii.
The Siddha
Regional Research Institute (SRRI), Thiruvananthapuram, focuses on
scientific validation of traditional Siddha formulations, evidence-based
clinical studies and standardisation of Siddha medicines.
About National Ayush
Mission:
1.
Under the National
Ayush Mission (NAM), financial assistance is provided to Kerala through
annually approved State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs).
2.
Recurring
assistance covers medicines, contingencies and human resources, while
non-recurring grants support construction, renovation, upgradation,
equipment and strengthening of Ayush healthcare facilities.
Medicinal Plants Research:
1.
Under the
Central Sector Scheme ‘Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management
of Medicinal Plants’, the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB)
provides project-based financial support for medicinal-plant research to
government and private universities, research institutions and organisations.
2.
Research
projects supported in Kerala include studies involving Ayurvedic drugs,
sustainable alternatives for rare medicinal plants, pharmacognostic and
phytochemical research, and herbal extracts used in Ayurveda.
Quality Assurance and
Global Standards:
1.
The Ayush
Vertical in CDSCO facilitates issuance of the WHO Certificate of
Pharmaceutical Product (WHO-CoPP) for eligible Ayush drugs through joint
inspections with State/UT Licensing Authorities and CDSCO.
2.
Ayush Quality
Marks:
i.
The Quality
Council of India (QCI) awards the Ayush Standard Mark and Ayush
Premium Mark based on third-party assessment against prescribed national
and international quality standards respectively.
ii.
The Ayush
Quality Mark Programme, launched in 2025, seeks to strengthen
quality assurance, consumer confidence and global competitiveness of Ayush
products and services.
iii.
77 Ayush
healthcare organisations in Kerala have received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board
for Hospitals (NABH).
3.
International
Standardisation:
i.
Ayurveda and
Yoga have been included under Sectional
Committee 2 of ISO/TC249, covering international standards relating to
terminology, quality and safety of ingredients, extracts, finished products,
Ayurveda-based dietary supplements and Yoga accessories.
Source: PIB- https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2296193®=6&lang=1