The 12th Five Year Plan reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of India to offer comprehensive healthcare to all its citizens but the sad truth is that India has not been able to achieve this goal. The healthcare segment in India is dominated by high out of pocket expenditure and low health insurance coverage amongst both rural and urban population. More than half of the Indian population has to bear the burden of hospitalization expenses as they are not covered under any form of health protection or health insurance scheme. Most often people have to sell their assets to meet the healthcare expenditures.
The Ministry of Ayush committed to improving the overall well – being of the people has for the first time laid down a set of guidelines for the insurance sector to cover Ayurvedic treatment. The guideline also addresses the settlements of claims and the benchmark rates for various interventions. The IRDA (Insurance Regulatory Authority of India) taking a cue from the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Ayush also laid down criterion and clarifications to general and health insurance companies to offer coverage to Ayurvedic treatment.
The hospitals that are eligible to provide Ayurvedic treatment have been categorized as:
- Hospitals under the Central and State Government
- Ayurvedic hospitals accredited by NABH
- Hospitals attached to Ayurvedic colleges recognized by Central Government/ Central Council of Indian Medicine
- Ayurvedic hospitals having registration with a Government Authority under appropriate Act in a State/UT, with minimum fifteen beds, minimum five qualified and registered Ayurvedic doctors, an adequate number of qualified and trained paramedical staff, dedicated Ayurveda therapy sections and daily maintenance of medical records.
The Ministry of Ayush has also clearly spelled out the list of diseases/disease conditions that need hospitalization of the patients, indicative therapies and likely duration of hospitalization.
The NABH (The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers) have approved of this step by the Ministry of Ayush. The NABH has however asked the Ayurvedic doctors to provide evidence as to the line of treatment that they are providing.
The IRDA has private insurance companies like ICICI, Apollo Munich, HDFC, Star Health, and other public –owned insurance service providers to cover Ayurvedic treatments.
Some of the organizations in the private sector that have started providing insurance coverage for Ayurvedic treatment are Tata AIG, Apollo Munich Star Health to name a few for inpatient treatment in Ayurvedic hospitals only that are recognized by the government. Private Ayurvedic centers that have not been approved by the NABH will not receive this benefit.
Branolia Chemical Works with more than 95 years of experience in the field of Ayurvedic medicine with their flagship products Branolia is hailing this step in the direction of making ayurvedic medicine an integral part of the healthcare industry in India.
The launching of the Ayushman Bharat Yojana or Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PM JAY) aimed towards building a healthy India has also covered all the hospitals under the Ministry of Ayush.
Branolia Chemical Works have maintained quality over the years by adapting to new and upcoming technologies. It has also added a series of Ayurvedic medicinal tonics like Kulerron, Livonia, Bellytone, Bitocough, and Honey guard to address health issues pertaining to the common man.
Branolia Chemical Works fully supports this initiative by the Ministry of Ayush.
