2024 AYUSH Medical Value Travel Summit Inaugurated

Shri Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Ayush, and Union Minister of State, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, inaugurated the Ayush Medical Value Travel Summit 2024. The event took place in Mumbai.

Aim 

To strengthen India’s position in Medical Value Travel (MVT) by integrating traditional Indian systems of medicine Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (Ayush) with modern healthcare systems.

Theme

• Global Synergy in Ayush: Transforming Health and Wellness through Medical Value Travel

• It is set to position India as the premier global hub for holistic healthcare based on Ayush systems. 

Partners

The summit is being organized by the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, the Government of Maharashtra, and key partners.

Union Minister Remarks

• Ayush is tackling health issues like diabetes and liver diseases with evidence-based treatments, aiming for accessibility for all. 
• We urge the government to provide free Ayush treatment for all employees and are committed to establishing affordable Ayush centers at block and tehsil levels.

Initiatives 

• The nationwide ‘Women’s Health Check’ initiative will promote health awareness through Ayurveda. 
• The first Medical Value Travel Summit 2024 in Mumbai will be followed by events in Bhubaneswar and a grand finale in Delhi, targeting one crore households with ‘Desh ka Prakrutik Parikshan – Ghar Ghar tak Ayurved on the occasion of Ayurveda Day.”

AYUSH Based Tourism

• The Ministry of Ayush has signed an MOU with the Ministry of Tourism to enhance Ayush and medical value travel, with support from the Indian Tourism Development Corporation.
• State governments must collaborate with their tourism departments to promote Ayurvedic wellness travel and ancient sites of significance. 
• As the number of foreign travelers seeking Ayush treatments grows, it’s vital for all stakeholders—tour operators, insurance providers, and hospitality leaders—to unite and leverage government initiatives to boost this essential sector. 
• The state Ayush departments should collaborate with state health departments to promote archaeological sites of Ayurveda and yoga thus increasing Ayush based medical tourism.

Number Game

• In rural India, awareness about Ayush varies from 87% to 99% for all states and UTs except for Arunachal Pradesh (77%).
• While in Urban India, the awareness is more than 86% across all states and UTs. 
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) issued new guidelines on April 1, 2024, requiring health insurance companies to offer AYUSH treatments at par with other treatments. 
• So far about 49 life insurance companies are providing about 69 packages.