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NITI Aayog has released a strategic roadmap to position Ayurveda as a globally recognised healthcare system and a stronger export industry by 2047, recommending a phased strategy that includes expanding international recognition, strengthening research, upgrading manufacturing standards, and promoting medical value travel.
The report, 'Strategic Roadmap for Making Ayurveda Global', said the roadmap aligns with the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 and seeks to transform Ayurveda into a "credible, evidence-based, and globally integrated system of healthcare." "The roadmap outlined in this report is both ambitious and pragmatic. By adopting a phased approach extending up to 2047, it aligns well with India's broader developmental vision of Viksit Bharat@2047. The focus on building globally recognized standards, enhancing manufacturing and export competitiveness, promoting medical value travel, and leveraging India's diplomatic and cultural capital offers a clear pathway for positioning Ayurveda as a credible component of global healthcare systems," NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri said in his message in the report. Prepared by PwC under NITI Aayog's Research Scheme, the report assesses Ayurveda's current global footprint and identifies policy measures needed to improve its availability, acceptability and global propagation. It notes that while Ayurveda's international presence is expanding, its full potential remains constrained by fragmented regulations, limited scientific validation, restricted practitioner mobility and gaps in globally aligned standards. According to the report, Ayurveda products are now exported to around 150 countries, with exports rising from USD 1.09 billion in 2014 to USD 2.16 billion in 2023. However, it noted that most products continue to be sold overseas as dietary supplements because of regulatory barriers, limiting the export of higher-value finished Ayurvedic medicines. To address these gaps, the roadmap recommends creating a Global Ayurveda Register, expanding mutual recognition agreements with foreign countries, introducing Ayurveda electives in international medical schools, establishing a World Federation for Ayurveda and Yoga, and strengthening evidence-based research. It also proposes upgrading India's manufacturing standards to WHO-GMP norms, creating an export-focused Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia, setting up overseas finishing units, and publishing annual global safety and evidence reports. The report also calls for strengthening international research by establishing more WHO collaborating centres, creating an International Ayurveda Research Alliance, promoting global clinical trials and expanding collaborations between industry and academia. It recommends developing International Ayurveda Centres of Excellence and introducing joint degree programmes with leading global medical universities to build an international practitioner base. Highlighting the economic opportunity, the report said the globalisation of Ayurveda has the potential to generate growth across health products, wellness services and medical value travel. It added that India should move Ayurveda beyond its current perception as a wellness and complementary therapy system towards becoming an evidence-based and internationally accepted healthcare model. "The findings and recommendations of this report are expected to support evidence-informed policymaking and contribute in strengthening India's position as a global leader in traditional medicine and promoting holistic and sustainable healthcare solutions," the report said. (ANI)
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