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| GUEST EDITORIAL |
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| Year : 2023 | Volume
: 7
| Issue : 1 | Page : 4-5 |
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Aligning collaboration and integration towards “One Nation, One Health System” for a resilient public health delivery
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha
Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, New Delhi, India
| Date of Submission | 21-Nov-2022 |
| Date of Acceptance | 28-Nov-2022 |
| Date of Web Publication | 08-Dec-2022 |
Correspondence Address:
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha
Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, New Delhi
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/jras.jras_177_22
How to cite this article:
Kotecha VR. Aligning collaboration and integration towards “One Nation, One Health System” for a resilient public health delivery. J Res Ayurvedic Sci 2023;7:4-5 |
How to cite this URL:
Kotecha VR. Aligning collaboration and integration towards “One Nation, One Health System” for a resilient public health delivery. J Res Ayurvedic Sci [serial online] 2023 [cited 2023 Jun 5];7:4-5. Available from: http://www.jrasccras.com/text.asp?2023/7/1/4/362948 |
To ensure that everyone, everywhere, has access to essential healthcare services without facing financial hardship is the ultimate goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). It covers the entire range of necessary, high-quality healthcare services, from health promotion through prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to rehabilitation and palliative care throughout the life course. The progressive realization of UHC is one of the core elements of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) of the United Nation (UN).[1]The SDGs present a rare opportunity to advance public health by integrating public policies across various sectors (the Health in All approach defined by the World Health organization (WHO).[2] The UN has recommended that to administer routine health care and address social determinants of health, there should be multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder, and comprehensive activities at all levels.[3]This inclusive health system can help with varied decision-making, early disease identification by increasing accessibility, and public acceptance of government-led interventions. Policies and institutional mechanisms targeted at boosting coverage and access to health services show India’s dedication to achieving UHC.
Regarding health, India is currently going through a socio-economic, demographic, environmental, and epidemiological shift, and many disease loads are challenging the health system. In reality, the changes are causing a rise in the demand for healthcare services. With the nation’s inadequate public health infrastructure and human resources, substantial sociocultural variety, and considerable infrastructure variations between rural and urban areas, responding to these responsibilities has been difficult. In this situation, a comprehensive, high-quality health care system can address the demands of both individuals and populations. It is a cutting-edge strategy for providing healthcare, and when it is founded on strong primary care and crucial public health duties, it enhances people-centred health systems and aids in making the most effective use of available resources.[4],[5] The ‘health of the nation’ may be the most essential factor in determining the kind and scope of its development and progress. When science is being developed, it should be done in a way that accommodates all demographic groups in the country and ensures fair resource distribution. Effective, safe, and people-centered health care services are also guaranteed by successful integration across this continuum of care. To address the populace’s requirements in terms of health care, an integrated health system known as ‘One Nation, One Health System’ (ONOH) would maximize the strengths of the pluralistic health systems.
Well-documented history and practice of our Ayush healthcare systems have effective evidence-based solutions to the challenges posed before Indian Healthcare system. Our country has a presence of around eight lakh Ayush practitioners whose services can be better utilized for delivering quality health and medical care to the population, particularly in under-served, remote and tribal areas. Ayush systems follow a holistic approach, intend to promote overall wellbeingrathertreating only mere illness. This holistic approach certainly provide an edge solution for newly emerging non communicable pandemic and re-emerging diseases. Ayush is now witnessing a highly receptive environment through a shift in health-seeking approaches of people towards wellbeing (Swasthya). Because of its time-tested traditional knowledge and non-severable link with lifestyle, Ayush healthcare system can deliver quality, i.e. promotive, preventive, therapeutic, rehabilitative and social (community) healthcare. Various efforts for incorporating Ayush in the mainstream healthcare delivery system are being done through National Ayush Mission, co-location facilities, implementation of national health programmes etc. Successful integrative medicine models in National Health care delivery and tertiary health setups includeNational Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), the functional integration and cross referrals in tertiary health care setups (like Safdarjung hospital), Integration of Ayush Systems into the Reproductive child health (RCH), Centre For Integrative Medicine And Research (CIMR)-AIIMS etc. Ministry of Ayush has also been engaged in integrative research models like Ayurgenomics, Ayurveda Biology, Mechanistic studies etc in close collaboration with Department of Science & Technology (DST), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and many other reputed institutes.
| Way Forward for a Resilient Public Health Delivery System in India | |  |
The overall resilience of a community depends on the extent to which community members practice healthy lifestyles. There is a need to reform the current policies in India on health and wellbeing with holistic inclusion of Ayush health care systems at various levels like education, practice to public health. Individuals and communities must be encouraged to use this knowledge to improve their health, the health of their communities, the health system’s structures, and, ultimately, the overall health of their societies.
The aim to focus on the ‘human right to health’ and ‘leaving no onebehind’, can be achieved only through an integrated health workforce and access to the medicines and health care facilities with financial risk protection. Moreover, rebuilding the health systems sustainably and equitably, making them more rights-based and climate-conscious, is necessary for accruing the ability of low-income and middle-income countries to achieve this. Optimization of medical pluralism, where all systems will have the opportunity to grow and integrate/conjunction/cooperate with each other in public interest is very much awaited.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | | |
| 1. | The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Global Health, https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/world-health-statistics [Last accessed on 25 Sep 2022].  |
| 2. | UHC,WHO fact sheet https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/universal-health-coverage-(uhc) [Last accessed on 15 Sep 2022]. |
| 3. | Erondu NA, Martin J, Marten R, Ooms G, Yates R, Heymann DL Building the case for embedding global health security into universal health coverage: A proposal for a unified health system that includes public health. Lancet 2018;392:1482-6. |
| 4. | Sen S, Chakraborty R Revival, modernization and integration of indian traditional herbal medicine in clinical practice: Importance, challenges and future. J Tradit Complement Med 2017;7:234-44. |
| 5. | Rastogi S, Singh RH ‘One Nation, One Health System’ In Indian Context: Do we need a serious debate before we pitch in? Annals of Ayurvedic Medicine2021;10:2-4. |
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