Petition to “Include Ayurveda under Indian Armed Forces Medical Reimbursement Rules”

 Manesh, NSG Commando, saved 40 lives on 26/11 in Mumbai in an act of selfless service, but a grenade blast left the right side of his body paralysed. Manesh, a Shaurya Chakra awardee, is now forced to pay his medical bills as the Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services has stated his inability before the Hon. Delhi High Court to include Ayurveda for the purpose of reimbursement of medical expenses to Indian Armed Forces personnel.

ISSUES AT STAKE:

There are two points of principle at stake in the “INCLUDE AYURVEDA” campaign:

i. Complementing modern medicine with Ayurveda to comprehensively serve the healthcare needs of (serving and retired) Indian defense personnel and their families, and 

ii. Zero tolerance to negative bias towards Ayurveda medical science in the country of its origin and primary practice

CONTEXT:

A recent news article in the Daily Pioneer (http://dailypioneer.com/home/online-channel/360-todays- newspaper/71885-2611-braveheart-left-to-fend-for-himsel f.html  throws light on the entire episode wherein the Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services stated his inability before the Hon. Delhi High Court to include Ayurveda (Indian Systems of Medicine) for the purpose of reimbursement of medical expenses to Indian Armed Forces personnel. Needless to say, it is a sad day when a most powerful living medical tradition that serves the needs of millions of people is disregarded in the country of its origin and practice.

AYURVEDA- RESURGENCE AS A MAINSTREAM MEDICAL SYSTEM:

Ayurveda is approved by CGHS, SGHS, and by many of the medical insurance companies. RSBY, the flagship GoI scheme to cover BPL (poor) citizens of the country under a comprehensive medical insurance scheme is soon expected to cover Ayurveda too. NABH accreditation as applicable for Allopathic hospitals is now possible for Ayurveda hospitals too and in fact there are several Ayurveda hospitals that are already NABH accredited in different parts of the country. Increasingly, people are realising the benefits of root-cause diagnosis and management provided by Ayurveda with virtually no side effects. There are over 300,000 professionally qualified Ayurveda doctors in the country and over 14,000 fresh graduates and post-graduates passing out each year. The Ayurveda sector is a mature one spanning public and private endeavour. Ayurveda is India’s national medical science. Post independence it had languished but is now resurgently claiming its position as a proven medical science capable of meeting the highest clinical standards and process-quality-documentation standards expected from a modern healthcare system.

SIGN PETITION

‘OSTRICH LIKE RESPONSE FROM THE AFMS’

Rather than consider the Delhi High Court’s directive as a welcome opportunity to seriously consider how Ayurveda can be co-opted in the overall scheme of medical care provision for the armed forces of India the DG-AFMS has blatantly ignored Ayurveda medical science and its time tested therapeutic capabilities as well as potential health benefits to the primary stakeholder- the Indian armed forces personnel and their families.

It is beyond reason to imagine that serving and retired defense personnel and their families do not require the excellent treatments available for both secondary and tertiary prevention of various chronic diseases, and in particular the proven ability of Ayurveda in the area of rehabilitation of various kinds (neurological, musculo-skeletal, wound healing, and other). The reasons quoted by the DG-AFMS in his submission could be easily addressed in a time bound fashion if there was indeed an intent and willingness to do so.

WHAT DOES THE PETITION SEEK TO REDRESS?

This petition is realistic in its expectations. We do not say that Ayurveda can be the treatment of choice for all diseases- it depends on the roga(disease), and the roga-rogi awastha or disease-patient status. We can understand that the defence establishment has very complex and sensitive issues to address and how Ayurveda medical care is provided for has to be carefully planned taking into account these multiple factors. We respect that genuine concerns and constraints may exist- some real, some based on ignorance of what Ayurveda is capable of, and perhaps also because of inertia (resistance to change).

We only want that the guidelines be framed in a judicious and time-bound manner so that AYURVEDA PLAYS AN APPROPRIATE AND VALID role in non-emergency medical conditions where it has time tested remedies and we are given an opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters in the Indian armed forces and their families.

TIME TO ACT:

If you believe that Ayurveda deserves to be recognised as a serious and valid system of medicine under its medical reimbursement scheme by the Indian Armed Forces establishment then SUPPORT THIS PETITION

If you believe that Ayurveda should count in the country of its origin, and that the FAUJI (Soldier) is First a HUMAN and then FAUJI, and freedom of choice in healthcare in his/her fundamental right then SIGN THIS PETITION.

SIGN PETITION

Petition by Sir.Rajiv Vasudevan