In the wake of increasing health-related challenges in society, Organiser Weekly and Gujarat University jointly organised the ‘Ayushman Bhava’ conclave on September 12, 2023, in Ahmedabad. Bringing together thought leaders, medical professionals and policymakers, the conclave explored the integration of traditional and modern healthcare practices. With a focus on holistic well-being, experts across multiple sessions discussed accessible healthcare, lifestyle changes and Bharat’s journey towards becoming self-reliant in health, aiming to pave the way for a healthier future
When our lives are becoming difficult due to rising health challenges, it is heartening that Organiser Weekly and Gujarat University have decided to organise this event, Ayushman Bhava. I thank Organiser Editor Prafulla Ketkar and Gujarat University’s Vice Chancellor Neerja Gupta for this initiative. Every living being has a purpose. Everyone has to contribute to society. Life is not limited to eating, drinking and marrying. Therefore, if we are to contribute, our health plays a crucial role. This has been emphasised by our ‘Rishi-Munis’. ‘Ayam shareeram vyaadhi Mandiram’ means this body is a hub of diseases. Our ‘Rishi-Munis’ have conveyed this,” said Acharya Devvrat, Governor of Gujarat, while addressing ‘Ayushman Bhava’ conclave on September 12 at the Atal Kalam Auditorium, Gujarat University in Gujarat.
“We have no enmity with allopathy, but it is Ayurveda that offers the ultimate solution for any disease. Of course, in emergencies, we can seek the help of allopathy and find relief. Allopathy comes from the West, which embraces a materialistic lifestyle. Have we ever wondered why only humans face so many difficulties compared to other living beings when it comes to survival? It is because we humans have a tendency to complicate things. This is evident in our changing lifestyle. Our food habits are becoming unhygienic. Therefore, those who live according to nature will lead healthier lives, while those who go against nature will face numerous difficulties,” he added.
“We did not know about diseases like cancer 50 years ago. Why? It is because we are living our lives against nature. The use of chemicals in our food is weakening everyone’s health,” Acharya Devvrat further added.
While addressing the inaugural session of Ayushman Bhava, Prafulla Ketkar, Editor of Organiser, briefed the audience about the national weekly and its mission.
“Organiser has always highlighted issues related to national interest, from Pakistan to the Emergency. Bharat has achieved a lot in the last more than seven decades. We are now launching satellites for other countries. However, there are still areas where we need to make significant progress. The health sector is one of them. We are gathered here to discuss holistic healthcare, food, and lifestyle,” said Prafulla Ketkar.
Pointing out that the culture and traditions of Bharat believe that we should remain holistically healthy, Prof Neerja Gupta, VC of Gujarat University, said, “The human body is made from the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Akasha. Therefore, the lesson is that our lifestyle should be nature-friendly.”
Keynote address
During the keynote address, Dr Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary of the Ministry of Ayush and Government of India, said, “When we think about health, therapy/treatment comes to our mind. Health is a big subject and therapy is only a part of this. It is not synonymous. Hospitals, medicines, beds and new inventions in the area of medicine are for sick people. That’s why we cannot mix therapy with health. Recently, the Government of Bharat launched ‘One health Mission’ and Ayushman is also part of this. The idea behind this is to take care of everyone from humans and animals to nature. The fact is that if our environment is not healthy, we cannot be healthy.”
“The US is one of the most prosperous countries in the world. And the best healthcare service is in North America. Here 49 per cent men and 39 per cent women have cancer problems. Now we have to think, why is it happening in a place like North America, where healthcare services are the best? When Barack Obama became President, he formed a committee of senior scientists to check the reason behind this. And the committee in its report said that Americans are exposed to 300 chemicals everyday. Of which only 30 chemicals the scientists knew. Another reason they gave is that we are over exploiting nature. “Over exploitation of Mother Nature has a backlash. Now we are witnessing flood and unexpected natural calamities. This wasn’t earlier if I remember. Therefore, we will have to think if we talk about holistic health, should we only talk about us only?,” added Dr Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha.
We have pluralistic healthcare, where allopathy, Ayurveda and Yoga work collectively. But there is a misconception that in the name of integrative healthcare a graduate in Ayurveda can practice Allopathy. This is not integrative healthcare. Any expert should use only his/her expertise to cure the sick person. For example, there is a disease called Hathipaon, also known as lymphatic filariasis. This cannot be cured by allopathy. But it is found in various research and it can be almost cured through Yoga and Naturopathy. Government of Bharat and Ayush is now working on this. Here I would like to inform you that this method is being used in Africa also, he said.
While informing about the growth of Bharat’s traditional medicines and therapy, Dr Vaidya Kotecha, said “There was a survey conducted by Sample Survey of India for Ayush. They found that 96 per cent of Bharatiyas are using Ayurvedic and yog as therapy. Forty-five per cent of them visit Ayush doctors. And this has happened after COVID-19. In 2014, the traditional medicine sector was $3 billion and now it is estimated to be $25 billion. It is being adopted globally. So it has happened because much evidence of the benefit of our traditional medicine has been generated in the last 10 years.”
DR Jayantibhai Bhadesiya, Paschim Kshetra Sanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and renowned Surgeon, said that working together is the tradition of Bharat and it also applies to healthcare. As we say: ॐ सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः, सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः। सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत। ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥ (May all sentient beings be at peace, may no one suffer from illness, May all see what is auspicious, may no one suffer. Om peace, peace, peace)
In the area of health, there are many organisations that follow the idea of Rashtriyta Swayanmsevak Sangh. There are many Swayamsevaks, who are working in the area of health. Arogya Bharti is a RSS inspired organisation which is also an umbrella organisation of those working in the field of health. There are other organisations like ‘Vishva Ayurveda Pratishathan’ and also one associated with Vijnana Bharati. When all these organisations come together, we call it holistic. A very senior Pracharak of Sangh used to say that nobody is complete except Bhagwan.
While explaining Bharat’s rich history in the area of medicine and therapy he said, “Sanskrit Bharti has published a book, Pride of India. A book Bharat Me Vigyan ki Parampara has been written by senior RSS Pracharak Suresh Soni ji. Dharmpalji, who was a follower of Gandhiji and lived in England for 40 years, studied gazzates of the British written on Bharat. On that basis he wrote a set of ten books. One of the books is ‘Indian Science and Technology in the Eighteenth Century’. He writes that this is not the only truth that plastic surgery was invented by Sushruta. During the war between Tipu Sultan and the British, many Bharatiya soldiers were severely wounded. When their hands or legs were cut off in the battle, they were taken to nearest villages, where local doctors/Vaids would repair their bodies. This has been written by a British commander and published in the British gazzate.”
Everyone should use therapy in a holistic way, DR Jayantibhai Bhadesiya says, “Our way of treatment can be different, but our motto should be to cure people in an integrative way.”
Describing Indian Medical Association as the largest organisation of modern medicine doctors, Dr Anil J Nayak, Honourary Secretary General, Indian Medical Association (IMA) Headquarters, said. “IMA is for the welfare of modern medicine doctors and their families. We believe that every pathy is the best in its area. We believe in integrated medicine. Every way of therapy is different, but all ways of treatment are important. We were against mixopathy, not integrated medicine. We can lead the world with integrated medicine and holistic healthcare.”
Affordable and Accessible Healthcare
The second session of Ayushman Bhava “Affordable and Accessible Healthcare” was moderated by Yatish Rajawat CEO, CIPP. During the discussion, Dr Rajendra Gupta, founder of Viksit Bharat Abhiyan, said, “Affordable and accessible healthcare will undergo a major transformation. Everything will be at our fingertips (digital healthcare). Healthcare should be provided according to the ‘golden hour’ rule. For me, this is accessible healthcare, irrespective of population or terrain. The number of beds doesn’t matter to me; functional beds do.”
Dr Parul Vadagama, Head of the Department of Respiratory Medicine, GMC Surat, said, “Digital involvement in the medical field is definitely important in today’s healthcare. We should learn about health technology alongside clinical medicine. In rural areas, only 30 per cent of people can avail themselves of medical facilities. We need to reach out to them. This is how we can be accessible.”
On the availability of doctors in rural areas, she said, “Only 15 per cent of doctors want to go to rural areas. So, we will have to find out why doctors are reluctant to go there? I discovered an interesting reason: many doctors say that due to the lack of healthcare and other infrastructure in rural areas compared to urban areas, they face challenges. Therefore, they prefer to stay in urban settings.”
Dr Bhavesh Roy, Consultant Cardiologist at ZYDUS Hospital, while speaking on the role of technology in treating patients, said, “In the future, specialists or super-specialists will not be required in every district. The hub-and-spoke model will be technology-driven. Every medical practitioner or patient will have an application through which they can upload images and receive treatment. This is already being used in neurology departments. It is also the best solution for remote areas, where the patient, specialist and super-specialist can be on one platform.”
Holistic and Integrated Healthcare
The third session titled, “Holistic and Integrated Healthcare”, was moderated by senior columnist Amit Srivastava. Participants included Lt. Gen Ajith Nilakantan, PVSM (Retd), Executive Director and Principal of Sree Narayana; Dr. Chetana Desai, Professor and Head of Pharmacology, BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad; and VD Tapan Kumar, MD, Ayurvedic Medicine, SGVP Holistic Hospital, Ahmedabad.
Lt. Gen Ajith Nilakantan said, “Unfortunately, there is a mindset among allopathy doctors that we are an exclusive and special club, and we won’t allow others. We need to get rid of this mindset. If Bharat doesn’t support Ayurveda, the world will lose it.”
Dr Chetana Desai added, “I agree with Lt Gen Ajith Nilakantan. This mindset is indeed present in this field. There are biases against both Ayurveda and allopathy. To overcome this, we should work as a team. Many studies by allopathy doctors have found Ayurveda to be very effective. However, like allopathy, Ayurvedic treatments should also be recommended to patients only after proper research.”
VD Tapan Kumar, while expressing a differing view, said, “I don’t agree with Lt. Gen Ajith Nilakantan and Dr Chetana Desai. There is no confusion between Ayurveda and allopathy, and there is no question of integrating the systems—they have coexisted for centuries. Ayurveda and allopathy are different. But as a Bharatiya, we have a long history with Ayurveda.”
Health and Lifestyle
The fourth session on health and lifestyle was moderated by Sharmi Adhikary, senior lifestyle journalist and film critic. Renowned nutrition and wellness expert Sheela Krishnaswamy, public health expert Jaiveerraj Singh Gohil, and founder and CEO of Earth Story Farm, Abhishek Choudhury, participated in it. On traditional food, Sheela Krishnaswamy said, “We have moved away from eating our traditional foods. We have started copying Western countries, consuming ultra-processed food and less natural food. The fact is that we are not eating healthy. We also aren’t eating on time, and this is affecting our bodies.”
Speaking on seasonal foods, Abhishek Choudhury said, “We have gone beyond seasonality. You can find seasonal products year-round in the market. Seasonality is important as it helps us understand what to consume in each season.”
Aatmanirbhar Bharat in Healthcare
Important personalities like Rakesh Pandey, CMD Global of Bravo Healthcare Group, Dr Manish Khaitan, Director of Nobesity Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Centre, KD Hospital, Ahmedabad, and Dr Rakesh Shah, Cluster Head of Shalby Hospitals, participated in the fifth session on “Aatmanirbhar Bharat in Healthcare.” This session was moderated by Dr KS Purohit, senior Gastro Surgeon.
“In today’s context, things have changed in our country regarding Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance). Still, we have a long way to go. Many modern technologies are being used in the medical field. When we talk about Aatmanirbharta, we should understand that it’s about producing things indigenously, using them domestically, and educating the users. We haven’t reached that level yet. However, looking at the pace of development, I believe that in the future, we will find solutions and no longer depend on foreign countries,” said Dr. Manish Khaitan.
Speaking on Aatmanirbharta in healthcare and the role of corporate hospitals, Rakesh Shah, said, “According to statistics, 66 per cent of hospital beds are available in urban areas, which cover only 20 per cent of the population, with the rest in rural areas. However, we have a robust public health sector mechanism. If you look at it, we can reach the most underserved sections of society. The challenge is how we utilise these resources.”
Rakesh Pandey said making Bharat self-reliant in healthcare is a challenge. “It requires commitment. People must also be aware of their health and should be mentally prepared. Research and development in this area is crucial.” While addressing the valedictory session, Arun Kumar Goyal, Managing Director of Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Ltd., said, “We have discussed almost every aspect of the health issue, but it should not remain just an event. We should organise this every year. Additionally, in collaboration with all stakeholders, we should develop a white paper on health issues, which we can then present to policymakers.”
Notably, the conclave was attended by many health practitioners, industry leaders and students of medicine. Government of Gujarat, Ministry of Health (GOI), UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre, Ahemdabad, The Gujarat Cancer and research institute, and Institute of Kidney diseases and research centre, were the gold partners of the conclave. Additionally, Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, Amul, Biotrust Medical Devices, and torrent pharma, were the partners of the Conclave.
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