Although the country has seven lakh AYUSH practitioners and more than 9,000 manufacturers of AYUSH medicine, the presence of AYUSH infrastructure at the grass root level (primary health centres) is a mere 4.5 per cent.
Revealing this at the inauguration of AYUSH Arogya Expo – 2015 organised by the State Departments of Health and AYUSH, Union Joint Secretary (AYUSH) Anil Kumar Ganeriwala said the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) had made this observation.
The NSSO in its consumer expenditure schedule for the 68th annual round of socio-economic surveys had for the first time taken up a survey on visibility of AYUSH at the grass root level, he said.
"There are 515 AYUSH colleges and more than 3,000 dispensaries but our visibility is not up to the mark. We are working on establishing a co-location and a parallel visibility for AYUSH services in the primary and community health centres level," he said.
Elaborating on the issue, Union Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent charge) Shripad Yesso Naik said his Ministry was working at improving the quality and outreach of AYUSH services in the country.
"AYUSH facilities are being created at all levels of health network including district hospitals and even AIIMS like institutions," the Minister said.
Health Minister U T Khader urged the Union Minister to organise an international AYUSH expo in Bengaluru as Karnataka has a huge potential for promotion of traditional medicine.
Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also spoke. The four-day expo - being held at the RBANMS grounds in Ulsoor – is offering visitors free consultation with AYUSH experts and medicines.