Former nodal officer of Ayush, Jharkhand, Diwakar Chandra Jha speaks to Dhrubajyoti Malakar about alternative medicines and how people are accepting it graduallyQ. What are the factors behind the growing acceptance of alternative medicines?All five components of Ayush- Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy- provide affordable treatments, and the medicines used in them do not have any side effects compared to allopathic medicines. Growing research in the sector is leading to the development of medicines for a wide range of ailments. That has also resulted in growing acceptance. Also, future practitioners of Ayush are selected through state-level examinations, which has increased the credibility of the practices among the masses.Q. What is the role of the Ayush department in popularising the treatments?The Ayush ministry has a mandate to develop Ayush systems to position it as the preferred mode of living and practice for attaining a healthy India. The state departments under the Union Ayush ministry promote the traditional and indigenous systems of medicine through policy formulation, awareness campaigns, and educational programmes, aiming to strengthen the evidence base, enhance quality, and ensure the global relevance of traditional Indian medicine.Q. What are the initiatives taken by the Ayush department in Jharkhand to promote such treatments?During the tenure from 2022 to 2025, when I was the nodal officer, around 1,200 health and wellness centres were targeted to open across the state, like primary health care centres (Arogya Mandir) and at least 870 were made functional with the appointment of contractual Ayush doctors. Regular training of the doctors was conducted, and the entire setup of the centres was revamped. Daily yoga sessions were conducted at the health and wellness centres, appointing yoga instructors, among many other initiatives. Additionally, Ayurvedic medical colleges in Giridih and Chaibasa, a homoeopathic college in Godda were also strengthened to promote the study of Ayush.Q. What is the current status of the wellness centres, and what can be done to make them better?As per my knowledge, the centres are not doing very well currently. The promotional activities are not taking place by the concerned department. Also, as Ayush is still under the health department, that is also causing some hurdles. State Yoga Kendra in Ranchi is lying defunct. Earlier, live streaming of yoga sessions was conducted every day to benefit the people. The way forward is that the department has to revive the earlier activities so that people can benefit.
