123 regular Ayush, 221 e-Ayush visas issued to foreigners in one year: Centre

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): About 123 regular Ayush visas and 221 e-Ayush visas have been issued to foreigners seeking treatment in India, between July 2023 and December 2024, said the Union government on Tuesday. During the same period, 17 e-Ayush attendant visas have also been issued, said Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. On July 27, 2023, the Government introduced a separate category of Ayush Visa for foreigners visiting India for availing treatment under the Ayush system of medicine. Ayush Visa is available under four sub-categories namely: Ayush visa; Ayush attendant visa; e-Ayush visa and e-Ayush attendant visa. An Ayush Visa is granted to a foreigner whose sole purpose is to seek treatment through Ayush systems. "A total of 123 regular Ayush Visa, 221 e-Ayush Visa and 17 e-Ayush Attendant Visa have been issued till December 4," MoS Jadhav said. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also has launched an official portal for Medical Value Travel (MVT), which is the Advantage Healthcare India portal. The "one-stop" portal aims to facilitate information for those who want to avail medical treatment in India from abroad.

The Government aimed to sensitise the stakeholders like Ayush facility providers and others involved in MVT. As part of it, the government organised the Ayush Medical Value Travel Summit 2024 in September in Mumbai to boost India's position in Medical Value Travel (MVT) by integrating traditional Indian systems of medicine with modern healthcare systems. The theme was 'Global Synergy in Ayush: Transforming Health and Wellness through Medical Value Travel'. Meanwhile, MoS Jadhav also informed that the government has adopted a strategy of co-location of Ayush facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), and District Hospitals (DHs). It will enable "the choice to the patients for different systems of medicines under a single window", the MoS said.