Context: Recently, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the findings of a national survey on Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) systems of medicine.

• According to the NSSO survey, almost every second individual in India used the Ayush healthcare system.

• It found that 46 percent of rural and 53 percent of urban individuals rely on this traditional medicine system.

About Ayush Healthcare System  

Ayush Healthcare System

• Ayush healthcare system includes Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy.

• Use of the Ayush system of medicines refers to the use/adoption of one or more of the system(s) of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homeopathy for treatment/cure of diseases/ailments or for prevention of diseases/ailments on the advice of a medical practitioner/instructor.

• This will also include home-based remedies/self-medication/self-treatment used by a member of the household knowing the preventive or beneficial effects of the treatment/medication.

First Exclusive All-India Survey on Ayush

• The first exclusive all-India survey on Ayush was conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) from July 2022 to June 2023 as part of the 79th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS).

• This survey covered the entire country, excluding a few inaccessible villages in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The broad objectives of the survey were to collect information on

• Awareness of people about the traditional system of healthcare (Ayush system of medicine),

• Uses of Ayush for prevention or treatment of ailments,

• Awareness of the households about home remedies, medicinal plants, local health tradition/folk medicine.

Key findings of the Survey

• Awareness: As per the study, approximately 95 per cent of rural and 96 per cent of urban respondents are aware of Ayush.

• Coverage: At least one member is aware of medicinal plants/home remedies/local health traditions/folk medicine in about 85 percent of rural and 86 percent of urban households.

• Most used medicine system

• Ayurveda is the most commonly used system across rural and urban areas for treatment.

• Ayush is predominantly used for rejuvenation and prevention measures.

Sampling Design for Ayush Survey

• First-Stage Units (FSUs): The following were considered as FSU’s: 

• Villages in rural areas

• Urban frame survey (UFS) blocks in urban areas

• Sub-units (SUs) of villages or UFS blocks

• Ultimate Stage Units (USUs): The following are considered as USU’s: 

• Households in both rural and urban sectors

• Sampling Method

• Method used: Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR) was used for the selection of the FSUs as well as households from the chosen FSUs.