Ayurveda’s child-care system can build Swasth Balak and Swasth Bharat (a healthy child and healthy India), said Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Ayush, Prataprao Jadhav.
The Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Ayush, organised the 30th national seminar under the theme “Management of Illness and Wellness in Paediatrics through Ayurveda”.
The two-day seminar aimed to advance holistic paediatric healthcare by bringing together over 500 participants, including leading ayurveda scholars, researchers, practitioners, and students.
“Ayurveda’s Kaumarbhritya branch has the potential to transform child healthcare by combining preventive, promotive, and curative approaches,” said Jadhav, while delivering the valedictory address through a written message.
"The collective wisdom shared over the past two days will inspire new research collaborations and practical models for achieving Swasth Balak, Swasth Bharat," he added. The MoS emphasised that the outcome of this seminar will strengthen India’s paediatric healthcare framework.
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, noted that the seminar had set a benchmark for academic exchange in paediatric ayurveda. He underlined the importance of evidence-based validation and stressed the need for collaborative studies to integrate Ayurvedic principles with modern healthcare practices.
Dr. Vandana Siroha, Director, RAV, in her concluding remarks, said that the success of the seminar reflects RAV’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of Ayurveda practitioners and researchers. The two-day programme featured 20 scientific research paper presentations on paediatric health in ayurveda, panel discussions on preventive and promotive healthcare in children.
The seminar concluded with a consensus that ayurveda’s holistic paediatric practices must be mainstreamed to complement India’s healthcare system, particularly in addressing lifestyle disorders, nutritional deficiencies, and emerging health challenges among children.
The event successfully reinforced ayurveda’s relevance as a foundation of holistic child healthcare and called for continued knowledge-sharing platforms at the national and global level.