J Gopikrishnan
New Delhi | May 19, 2025
In a classic case of how the system works, ayurveda is yet to be included Modi Government’s flagship project Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). Ironically, AB-PMJAY focuses on traditional medicinal practise.
The project, launched in September 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was meant to give a health insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakh to individuals below the poverty line. The scheme covers 40 percent of the Indian population. Now everyone above 70 years of age, irrespective of income limits, is also covered under the scheme, making it the world’s biggest health insurance scheme.
Sources in the Government said the basic reason for the inordinate delay is formulation and finalisation of health insurance protocols for ayurveda treatment. Almost a year ago, Ayush Ministry submitted a health insurance package protocol in mid 2024 to National Health Authority (NHA), the controlling organisation of AB-PMJAY.
NHA is an expert-cum-bureaucratic body, works under the Union Health Ministry, which finalises the inclusion of health insurance protocols of Ayushman Bharat scheme. According to Ayush Ministry officials and members of Ayurveda Hospitals’ Association, till date NHA has not even convened a meeting with the Ministry officials on the submitted health insurance protocols.
Health Ministry and Ayush Ministry officials are tight lipped on the inertia or snail pace of NHA to approve insurance protocols to implement and inclusion ayurveda in Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Why has the NHA not yet convened a meeting to discuss and implement the health insurance protocols of ayurveda? “You may simply call allopathy mafia is behind the snail pace of NHA which has not even initiated discussion with Ayush Ministry officials for the past one year. In 2010, 2016, 2020, and now in 2023 — Ayush Department which became a full-fledged Ministry under the Modi-led first regime in 2014 is working on ayurveda Insurance protocols. There are some big players in ayurveda who also want to limit the insurance cover to themselves and not include all ayurveda hospitals,” said Members of Ayurveda Hospitals’ Association.
According to the Association, certain big ayurveda hospitals and big corporate hospitals with ayurveda treatment facilities do not want to extend insurance coverage to all ayurveda hospitals. “If ayurveda is implemented in Ayushman Bharat scheme, all will be included. Political leadership must intervene and order to NHA to consider and implement ayurveda treatment in Ayush Bharat scheme,” said a member of Ayurveda Hospitals Association, urging for inclusion of all ayurvedic hospitals.
With NBA not initiating inclusion of ayurveda in Ayushman Bharat scheme, for the past one year, the Ayush Ministry’s answer in Parliament to a series of questions on status of inclusion of Ayurveda, ends in only one line — “The Ayush packages are not included in Ayushman Bharat — Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana”.