To make Ayurvedic treatments available to patients at the margins, an awareness programme organised by the Ministry of Ayurveda for insurance companies and Ayurvedic hospital operators at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in New Delhi on Tuesday saw stakeholders come together to discuss the regulatory framework and policy support required to mainstream Ayurvedic treatments into the health insurance scheme.
The meeting became necessary as the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) recently directed that Ayush treatment be covered under health insurance policies.
“The aim is to ensure that everyone has access to Ayush treatment. The joint publication of Standard Treatment Guidelines by DGHS and Ayush (STG) marks an important milestone as this is the first such collaboration in India,” Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said.
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Prof. Tanuja Nesari, Director, All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), said, “We are making great strides in integrating Ayurvedic treatments into the mainstream healthcare system. Our collaboration with insurance companies is focused on providing cashless access to Ayurvedic services through the TPA network. Today’s meeting marks a pivotal step in this effort and brings us one step closer to realizing our vision of making Ayurvedic treatments accessible and affordable to all.”
Speaking about the need for separate registration of Ayush hospitals, Prof. Bejon Kumar Mishra, Chairperson of the Core Group of Health Experts, Ministry of Health of India, said, “The key recommendations are to facilitate registration of Ayush HCOs, adopt Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) and ICD-TM2 codes approved by the Ministry of Health of India, and increase Ayush representation in key committees.”
Rajiv Vasudevan, MD & CEO, Apollo Ayurvaid Hospitals said, “Current insurance services are primarily focused on surgery and emergency services but two-thirds of this segment are people with long-term illnesses and require effective healthcare. The question is what do patients with long-term issues, recurring issues, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases do? It is time to move away from alleviating symptoms and identify and address the root cause of the disease. Ayurvaid treatments are highly effective even in palliative and end-of-life care settings.”
“We look forward to the General Insurance Council, representing 39 general insurers, independent health insurers, reinsurers and specialty insurers, providing leadership and playing an integral role in the publication of the white paper,” Mishra added.
Dr. Kustoba Upadhyaya, Advisor, Ministry of Health, India said, “The Ministry of Health has constituted a Core Group of Experts in the Insurance Sector in October 2023 to advise and monitor insurance related matters in the Indian insurance sector, conduct a status study of the Indian insurance system in health insurance and prepare a white paper.”
“The Ayush Ministry and NHA are working to incorporate Ayush interventions in the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY),” he said.
The event marks an important step towards integrating traditional medicine into mainstream healthcare, ensuring wider insurance coverage for Ayush treatments and promoting overall health and wellbeing.
