Soon, military and field hospitals under the Union Ministry of Defence may offer Ayush-based healthcare services alongside conventional treatment if a proposal sent by the Union Ministry of Ayush gets the green signal.
The move aims to expand preventive, promotive and rehabilitative healthcare for Armed Forces personnel through dedicated Ayush outpatient departments (OPDs) across the defence healthcare network.
In a letter to Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav proposed the establishment of Ayush OPDs and treatment facilities in military and field hospitals.
The proposal seeks to integrate evidence-based traditional medicine with the existing healthcare system of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), officials said.
The initiative is intended to complement modern medicine rather than replace it. The officials said conventional treatment would continue to remain the primary approach for emergency care, surgery and critical illnesses, while Ayush interventions could support preventive healthcare, lifestyle management, rehabilitation and overall well-being.
In his communication, Jadhav noted that the AFMS has developed a robust modern healthcare infrastructure serving soldiers deployed in diverse operational settings, including high-altitude regions, deserts and remote border areas.
However, he pointed out that dedicated Ayush facilities are currently available only in a limited number of defence institutions, leaving many military and field hospitals without access to traditional medicine services.
Currently, Ayurveda centres under the Ministry of Ayush are already functioning in 12 Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) hospitals under a pact signed between the Ministry of Defence and Ayush in 2022.
Among the Army establishments, the centres are located at Base Hospital, Delhi Cantonment (Western Command); Command Hospital (Western Command), Chandimandir; Command Hospital (Central Command), Lucknow; Command Hospital (Southern Command), Pune; Command Hospital (Eastern Command), Kolkata; Military Hospital, Jabalpur; Military Hospital, Jaipur; 166 Military Hospital, Jammu; and 151 Base Hospital, Guwahati.
In the Navy, an Ayurveda Centre is operational at INHS Asvini, Mumbai, while in the Air Force, such facilities are available at Command Hospital (Air Force), Bengaluru, and 11 Air Force Hospital, Hindon (Ghaziabad).
The latest proposal recommends establishing Ayush OPDs across the defence healthcare system to provide wider access to therapies drawn from Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy wherever clinically appropriate.
Officials said such services could support management of chronic pain, musculoskeletal disorders, stress-related conditions, post-injury rehabilitation and lifestyle-related illnesses.
Yoga-based wellness programmes and preventive healthcare interventions could also help improve physical fitness, mental resilience and long-term health among defence personnel.
The ministry has informed the defence ministry that it is prepared to provide technical expertise, professional guidance and institutional support for implementing the initiative.
This includes the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two ministries to facilitate deployment of trained professionals, development of clinical protocols and operational coordination.
The proposal forms part of the Centre's broader effort to integrate traditional systems of medicine into institutional healthcare. Over the past few years, Ayush services have been introduced in several government hospitals and wellness centres, alongside initiatives to strengthen research and standardisation of traditional therapies.
Public health experts said that soldiers often work under physically demanding and psychologically stressful conditions, making preventive healthcare and rehabilitation important components of long-term health management. They, however, emphasised that integration of traditional medicine with conventional care should continue to be guided by scientific evidence, standardised treatment protocols and appropriate medical supervision.
The proposal, if accepted, could pave the way for the phased introduction of Ayush services across military and field hospitals, widening healthcare options for armed forces personnel while advancing the government's integrated healthcare approach.
When asked to comment, Dr. Tanu Jain, CEO, Bareilly Cantonment Board, under the Ministry of Defence, said an Ayush unit is already functional at their Cantonment Board Hospital, complementing the existing healthcare system.
“Such integrated models can certainly improve accessibility to preventive, promotive and rehabilitative healthcare while expanding patient choice,” she said.
At present, Ayurveda centres are operational in 37 Cantonment Board Hospitals across the country, including those in Agra, Prayagraj, Dehradun, Ahmedabad, Secunderabad, Jalandhar, Jammu, Jhansi, Belagavi, Wellington and Amritsar, among others.
