The Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari has said that Ayurvedic medicine still remains an important component of our healthcare system. He was addressing the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, here today. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, the President of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, Shri Devender Triguna and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. The Vice President said that Ayurveda is a traditional healing system of India, going back at least to the Vedic times. He further said that it is amongst the oldest and most elaborate forms of traditional medicine in the world. It needs to be seen as not just a system of disease treatment but a system of positive health for disease prevention and balanced lifestyle, he added.
The Vice President said that with proper development and study of the traditional methods and substance using the tools available to us now from modern science, the traditional medical systems, including Ayurveda, can become an important and affordable part of a holistic healthcare system. He further said that alternative medicine, including Ayurveda, has gained wide recognition and become popular, not only in India but internationally. As our traditional medical systems, including Yoga and Ayurveda are being adopted worldwide, India can develop principles and standardized practices to make sure that this adaptation is systemic and true to the authentic traditions of these disciplines, he added. The Vice President said that there is a need for strategic partnering involving Ayurvedic medical experts, Ayurvedic pharmacy experts, botanical authorities across India, agricultural and environmental experts, drug discovery experts, medicinal chemists, clinical trial experts, large pharmaceutical companies, major universities as well as relevant governmental agencies and ministries. With the application of modern scientific methods to the ancient knowledge system, we can have the best of both the worlds, he added.