|
India’s ayurvedic clinics need to transform from traditional into reliable medical institutions: Dr Partap Chauhan
|
|
Nandita Vijayasimha, Bengaluru
October 07 , 2026
|
|
|
India’s ayurvedic clinics must transform from traditional treatment centres into reliable medical institutions. This requires moving beyond the perception of Ayurveda as a traditional system and establishing clinics with strong standards of clinical practice, qualified professionals, processes, patient safety, proper documentation, modern infrastructure, and measurable outcomes.
Dr Partap Chauhan, founder, Jiva Ayurveda said, “There are exciting developments happening in Ayurveda clinics in India. Patients are showing strong interest in preventive health care, healthy living and personalized healthcare options. Meanwhile, the industry has to ensure it meets all the quality requirements.”
The ecosystem of regulations is also organized. Drugs of Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani are subject to the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, whereas the clinical establishments would adhere to the state and central laws in place. Additionally, the government has made pharmacovigilance and evidence-backed treatment guidelines applicable to Ayush systems more effective, he added.
In my opinion, not only the traditional knowledge, but also better diagnostics, clinical documentation, technology and research should be integrated for the future of ayurvedic clinics, Dr Chauhan told Pharmabiz.
A major challenge faced by practitioners is to ensure consistency of the quality of care. Since Ayurveda is tailored to individual patients, the practitioners need a thorough understanding of its theoretical framework and the skill to apply the theory to the modern patients.
There are also operational challenges in terms of having the right people in the right positions, standardization of procedures, documentation, medicines quality and compliance of rules and regulations. As the practice of Ayurveda gets more organized and systematic, the clinics have to invest in qualified medical doctors, support staff, technology and patient guarantee systems, he noted.
Commenting on the mandate of clinical trials for Ayurveda formulations, as Rule 158B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 requires modern scientific validation, safety data or efficacy trials for proprietary or new formulations, he said, “ This rule will not impose a single requirement regarding clinical trials for Ayurveda formulations. Instead, it will have different requirements depending on such factors as belonging to a certain category, having particular ingredients, indications and being classified as classical, proprietary or having a new indication.”
In terms of proprietary formulations, or when a formulation has a new indication, proper evidence for safety and efficacy is very important. Ayurveda should include rigorous research and clinical documentation and pharmacovigilance. At the same time, scientific validation must be appropriately tailored to fit Ayurveda rather than imitating a framework created for another medical system because this system of medicine has its own principles of diagnostics and treatment, said Dr Chauhan.
Government of India's stand on not granting identical pay scales to Ayurveda practitioners and MBBS-qualified doctors must not be that of equal salaries across professions; instead, it must be about fair pays, career development and growth and generating opportunities for Ayush practitioners to participate in public health. There are significant differences between the two systems concerning their history, methodology and field of operations. Hence it becomes very vital to recognise the differences while ensuring dignity, he said
Our Jiva Ayurveda has seen significant growth since its inception in 1992. Going forward we focus on making our services more accessible without compromising on the clinical quality by enhancing our physical network of clinics delivering online consultations, designs of digital health, and development of customized and research-based treatment plans, said Dr Chauhan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOPICS
|
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra, has issued a public advisory urging citizens to report any misleadi ...
|
|
|
|
|