Ministry of Ayush Plans Multi-Stakeholder Engagement for Upcoming Summit
Ministry of Ayush outlines multi-stakeholder engagement blueprint ahead of summit
The Ministry of Ayush has announced a structured multi-stakeholder engagement plan in the run up to its forthcoming summit on traditional medicine, integrative healthcare, and wellness-based development. According to officials, the plan is designed to bring together central and state-level institutions, academic and research bodies, industry associations, civil society organisations, and digital health innovators on a common platform ahead of the event.
While detailed dates and the final venue of the summit are expected to be notified separately, the Ministry has begun formal consultations with sectoral experts and implementing agencies to ensure that key outcomes are identified in advance and can be translated into post-summit action points. The engagement process is being positioned as a core component of summit preparation rather than an ancillary activity.
Scope and objectives of the engagement plan
The engagement framework announced by the Ministry focuses on three broad objectives. The first is to consolidate inputs on regulatory reform, capacity building, and standardisation from practitioners and institutions working across Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homeopathy. The second is to map emerging opportunities in evidence-based research, digital health tools, and Ayush-based preventive care. The third is to align the summit’s thematic sessions with ongoing central and state government programmes so that deliberations lead to implementable recommendations.
Officials involved in the preparatory work have indicated that the Ministry wants the summit to function as a working platform that feeds directly into operational decisions. As a result, the engagement plan places emphasis on background papers, issue notes, and structured feedback formats that can be consolidated into draft roadmaps before the summit convenes.
The Ministry’s internal guidelines for the summit preparation process, according to people familiar with the matter, call for a clear distinction between broad vision statements and actionable measures. Stakeholder consultations are therefore being grouped around specific themes such as clinical protocols, quality control, practitioner training, global cooperation, and digital integration.
Key stakeholder groups identified by the Ministry
The engagement plan classifies stakeholders into multiple broad categories, each with distinct modes of interaction in the lead-up to the summit.
Central and state government institutions
The Ministry of Ayush has initiated coordination with other central ministries and departments that intersect with Ayush-based service delivery and product development. These include departments overseeing health and family welfare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, science and technology, higher education, and export promotion. Parallel communication is being undertaken with state Ayush directorates, state health departments, and state medical councils.
The purpose of this vertical is to ensure that schemes and regulatory frameworks currently in force are appropriately reflected in summit documentation. It is also intended to help identify states that have piloted notable models in Ayush service delivery, insurance coverage, or supply chain management, so that these can be presented as case studies during the summit sessions.
Academic, research and training institutions
Universities, Ayush teaching colleges, research councils, and autonomous institutes supported by the Government of India have been identified as another principal stakeholder group. The engagement plan proposes a series of technical roundtables and expert workshops to gather updated evidence on safety, efficacy, and integration of Ayush systems into mainstream healthcare pathways.
The Ministry is encouraging institutions to share data from ongoing clinical studies, observational research, and public health interventions involving Ayush-based protocols. This evidence pool is expected to inform discussions on guidelines, curriculum design, and collaborative research models. Particular emphasis is being placed on the role of interdisciplinary centres that work at the intersection of traditional medicine, biomedical sciences, and public health.
Industry bodies and Ayush enterprises
The engagement plan formally includes manufacturers of Ayush medicines, herbal products, wellness formulations, and nutraceuticals, along with industry associations representing micro, small, medium and larger enterprises. The Ministry intends to consult these entities on standards, quality assurance frameworks, labelling norms, export facilitation, and innovation incentives.
According to officials associated with the preparatory work, separate interactions are being planned for licensed manufacturers, start-ups in the wellness and digital health segments, and companies engaged in research-based product development. The objective is to obtain sector-specific feedback on regulatory bottlenecks, opportunities for investments in research and development, and mechanisms to strengthen pharmacovigilance and post-marketing surveillance.
Healthcare providers, practitioners and professional councils
The plan recognises registered practitioners, hospital administrators, integrative medicine clinics, and professional councils as critical stakeholders. The Ministry is seeking their input on clinical protocols, referral pathways between Ayush and conventional healthcare systems, and models for co-location of services at primary, secondary, and tertiary care levels.
Professional councils and associations are expected to provide suggestions on continuous professional development frameworks, accreditation of training programmes, and mechanisms for improving practice standards. Their feedback will also be used to refine discussion points related to patient safety, informed consent, and documentation in Ayush practice settings.
Civil society, community-based organisations and patient groups
The engagement plan features a dedicated window for inputs from civil society organisations, self-help groups, community health workers, and patient support groups that work with traditional medicine and wellness-based interventions at the grassroots level. The Ministry has indicated that such perspectives are important for understanding service access, affordability, and cultural dimensions associated with Ayush use.
Consultations with this group are expected to highlight field experiences related to health-seeking behaviour, community-based preventive initiatives, and gendered aspects of healthcare utilisation. These inputs may inform summit discussions on communication strategies, health literacy, and the design of inclusive service delivery models.
Digital health, start-ups and innovation ecosystem
A distinct category within the engagement plan focuses on digital health start-ups, platform providers, data analytics firms, and innovators working on teleconsultation, electronic health records, remote monitoring, and decision-support tools tailored for Ayush services. The Ministry intends to understand how digital tools can enhance documentation, outcome tracking, and reach of Ayush-based care.
Stakeholder meetings in this segment will explore topics such as standardised terminologies, interoperability with national digital health infrastructure, ethical handling of health data, and opportunities for building registries and repositories related to Ayush interventions.
Structure of the engagement process
The Ministry’s plan envisions a multi-phase engagement process covering pre-summit, summit, and post-summit stages. The pre-summit phase focuses on knowledge gathering, issue identification, and preparation of thematic background notes. The summit itself is expected to host plenary sessions and parallel tracks where stakeholders present perspectives that build on the pre-summit inputs. The post-summit phase would then consolidate agreed outcomes into structured documents or action plans.
In advance of the summit, the Ministry is working with technical committees and working groups to design consultation templates tailored to each stakeholder category. These templates are expected to cover questions on existing challenges, policy and regulatory gaps, good practices, and proposals for collaboration. Wherever feasible, the Ministry plans to use digital platforms for wider participation while also hosting targeted in-person consultations.
Officials are also considering mechanisms to ensure that smaller organisations, rural institutions, and practitioners from remote regions can contribute to the process. This may include regional meetings, virtual sessions, or written submissions channelled through state-level departments and councils.
Indicative thematic areas for consultation
While the final agenda of the summit will be announced separately, the Ministry’s multi-stakeholder engagement exercise is guided by broad thematic clusters. These clusters are intended to ensure that discussions remain focused on core operational questions with direct administrative relevance.
Regulation, quality and safety
Stakeholders are being asked to share feedback on the functioning of licensing, inspection, and quality control mechanisms for Ayush medicines and related products. Inputs are being sought on pharmacopoeial standards, testing infrastructure, and certification processes for raw materials and finished formulations.
Another area of focus relates to patient safety and clinical governance. This includes documentation standards, reporting of adverse events, integration of Ayush records within broader health information systems, and guidelines to support safe combinations of traditional and conventional therapies.
Education, training and human resources
The engagement plan seeks evidence-based suggestions on strengthening Ayush education through updated curricula, exposure to research methods, and cross-disciplinary learning. Stakeholders are also being asked for inputs on faculty development, clinical training, and career progression pathways within Ayush systems.
Human resource planning is being discussed in relation to public health infrastructure needs, particularly in rural and semi-urban regions where Ayush practitioners may play a role in preventive and promotive care. The Ministry is interested in understanding how training can be aligned with evolving service delivery models, including teleconsultation and community-based initiatives.
Service delivery and integration with public health systems
The Ministry’s engagement plan includes consultations on models for integrating Ayush services within public health facilities. This involves discussion on co-located clinics, referral protocols between Ayush and allopathic services, and standardised pathways for managing selected conditions through integrative approaches where supported by evidence.
Officials are seeking case studies of service delivery models that have improved access, patient satisfaction, or health outcomes using Ayush-based approaches in primary healthcare, school health programmes, workplace wellness, and community outreach campaigns.
Research, evidence and data systems
Strengthening the research base of Ayush systems is a core element of the summit’s preparatory work. The engagement plan calls on research councils, universities, and independent institutions to present data on ongoing and completed studies, as well as to identify priority areas where further investigation is needed.
In parallel, stakeholders are being asked to provide inputs on methodologies suitable for studying complex interventions, long-term wellness outcomes, and community-based practices. The role of registries, observational studies, pragmatic trials, and collaborative research with biomedical institutions is expected to figure prominently in these discussions.
Industry development, trade and innovation
The Ministry is consulting industry stakeholders on measures to facilitate responsible growth of Ayush products and services in domestic and international markets. Discussions are likely to cover manufacturing standards, intellectual property considerations, branding and traceability, and support mechanisms for micro and small enterprises.
Feedback is also being sought on strategies to encourage innovation in product development, dosage forms, standardisation technologies, and supply chain management. The aim is to ensure that any subsequent policy measures are informed by the diverse operational realities of manufacturers and service providers across the size spectrum.
Digital transformation and data-driven governance
Digital health stakeholders are being engaged on the design and integration of electronic medical records for Ayush systems, teleconsultation guidelines, and digital platforms for training and capacity building. The Ministry is also examining how data generated through digital tools can be used to improve planning, monitoring, and evaluation of Ayush programmes while complying with applicable data protection norms.
Consultations in this area will explore options for interoperability with national digital health initiatives, standard coding systems for Ayush diagnoses and procedures, and decision-support systems that assist practitioners while preserving professional autonomy and patient choice.
Modes of participation and communication
Under the engagement plan, stakeholders are expected to participate through a combination of written submissions, virtual meetings, thematic workshops, and in-person consultations. The Ministry is preparing structured formats and guidance notes to ensure that submissions remain focused and comparable across institutions and sectors.
Communication channels such as official ministry notifications, e-mail invitations, and announcements through allied institutions are being used to disseminate information about consultation timelines and participation modalities. In some cases, nodal institutions may be designated to coordinate inputs from specific regions or sectors, particularly where the stakeholder base is extensive.
The Ministry also intends to work with academic and professional networks to ensure that technical content prepared for the summit is reviewed by subject experts prior to finalisation. This approach is aimed at enhancing the quality and reliability of background materials, which will form the reference point for summit deliberations.
Potential administrative implications
The multi-stakeholder engagement plan is expected to have several administrative implications for how the Ministry of Ayush and related institutions design and implement programmes in the coming years. By systematising consultation processes, the Ministry is likely to develop more granular understanding of field-level challenges and resource gaps.
One anticipated outcome is the generation of prioritised recommendations that can be mapped against existing schemes, budgetary provisions, and institutional capacities. This mapping can help identify areas where minor procedural adjustments may yield results, as distinct from domains that require new schemes, revised guidelines, or inter-ministerial coordination mechanisms.
The engagement process is also likely to create or reinforce working groups and task forces that persist beyond the summit itself. Such groups can be tasked with developing standard treatment guidelines, academic frameworks, regulatory proposals, or digital tools, drawing directly on the stakeholder inputs collected in the pre-summit phase.
For state governments, the summit’s consultation-led model may encourage closer alignment between state Ayush policies, health programmes, and central support mechanisms. States that are able to document and present successful pilots during the summit may find opportunities to scale these models with technical and financial assistance under central schemes.
Implications for citizens and service users
While the immediate focus of the engagement plan is on institutional coordination, it carries potential implications for citizens who use or are interested in Ayush-based services. If the summit’s recommendations lead to strengthened standards, better documentation, and more integrated service delivery, patients may experience improved quality and reliability of care.
Enhanced coordination between Ayush and mainstream health services at public facilities could make it easier for citizens to access multiple options within a single system, subject to appropriate clinical protocols. The emphasis on safety, evidence generation, and digital documentation has the potential to increase transparency about how Ayush interventions are used in different health conditions.
Citizens may also benefit indirectly through improved communication materials and public awareness campaigns informed by the consultations with civil society and community-based organisations. Clear information on what Ayush services are available, for which conditions, and under what safeguards can support more informed decision-making by patients and families.
Monitoring, follow-up and next steps
The Ministry of Ayush is expected to establish internal mechanisms to track the implementation of the multi-stakeholder engagement plan and to document participation metrics, key recommendations, and follow-up actions. This may include periodic reviews of consultation outputs, preparation of synthesis reports, and identification of areas where additional rounds of engagement may be needed.
Post-summit, the Ministry is likely to circulate outcome documents to participating institutions, state governments, and allied ministries. These documents may outline agreed principles, indicative timelines, and responsible agencies for carrying forward specific recommendations. The multi-stakeholder framework may thus evolve into a continuing reference for future policy design and programme implementation in the Ayush sector.
As the summit approaches, further details regarding session formats, speaker line-ups, and thematic focus areas are expected to be published through official channels. Stakeholders who wish to participate may be required to follow submission guidelines and timelines notified by the Ministry and its designated partner institutions.
The Ministry’s announcement of a structured engagement plan signals an intent to ground the summit in a comprehensive consultative process. The extent to which this process translates into concrete administrative measures and service improvements will become clearer as the summit concludes and its recommendations begin to be implemented across national and state-level Ayush systems.
