GoI introduces Ayush visa category for foreign nationals seeking medical treatment in India: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) introduced a new Ayush (AY) visa for foreign nationals for treatment under Ayush systems/Indian systems of medicine like therapeutic care, wellness and Yoga. With this, a new chapter, Chapter 11A – Ayush Visa, has been added to the Visa Manual after Chapter 11 – Medical Visa, which deals with treatment under Indian medical systems, and relevant adjustments have been made in other chapters of the Visa Manual, 2019. AYUSH is an acronym for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy.
Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 2023
Key Points:
- The Ayush Visa aims to attract foreigners who wish to undergo Ayush therapy, wellness, and Yoga in India.
- The launch of this visa corresponds to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s declaration at the Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit (GAIIS) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in April 2022.
- This will boost Medical Value Travel in India, and also stregthen the vision of making Indian traditional medicine a global phenomenon.
- Ministry of AYUSH and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW) are collaborating to develop a one stop Heal in India portal to promote India as a global Medical tourism destination. Ministry of AYUSH is promoting Ayush system of treatment national and globally. It has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, to promote Medical Value Travel in Ayurveda and other traditional medical systems.
- As per the report ‘The Global Wellness Economy: Looking beyond COVID’ by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the Global Wellness economy will grow at 9.9% annually. Ayush based healthcare & Wellness economy is estimated to grow to $70 billion by 2025.