Union Cabinet approves extension of National AYUSH Mission upto 2026

NEW DELHI : The Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the continuation of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) as a centrally sponsored scheme effective 1 April to 31 March 2026 with an expenditure of ₹4,607.3 crore.

The Centre's share in the scheme would be ₹3,000 crore, while ₹1,607.3 crore will be state share, the government said. The mission was launched on 15 September 2014 and is being implemented by ministry of AYUSH with the objectives of providing cost-effective AYUSH services, with universal access through upgrading AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries, co-location of AYUSH facilities at primary health centres, community health centres, and district hospitals, strengthening institutional capacity at the state level through upgrading AYUSH educational institutions, setting up of new up to 50 bedded integrated AYUSH hospital, AYUSH public health programmes and operationalization of 12,500 AYUSH health and wellness centres to provide services of a holistic wellness model based on AYUSH principles and practices so as to empower masses for "self-care" to reduce the disease burden, and out-of-pocket expenditure.

The mission, the government said, is addressing the gaps in health services by supporting the efforts of governments in states and Union territories for providing AYUSH health services or education in the country, particularly in vulnerable and far-flung areas. Under NAM, special focus is given for specific needs of such areas and for the allocation of higher resources in their annual plans.

The government said India possesses an unmatched heritage represented by its traditional systems of medicine such as ayurveda, sidhha, sowa rigpa, Unani and Homoeopathy which are a treasure trove of knowledge for preventive, promotive and curative healthcare.

The positive features of the Indian systems of medicine, namely their diversity and flexibility; accessibility; affordability; broad acceptance by a large section of the general public; comparatively lesser cost and growing economic value, have great potential to make them providers of healthcare that the large sections of our people need, it said.

The government said the expected outcomes of the mission will be better access to AYUSH healthcare services through increased healthcare facilities offering AYUSH services and better availability of medicines and trained manpower. The government said that with the scheme there will be improvement in AYUSH education through a well-equipped enhanced number of AYUSH educational institutions. It will further increase to focus on reducing communicable/non-communicable diseases through targeted public health programmes using AYUSH systems of healthcare.

Source: https://www.livemint.com