Correspondence Address:
Prof. Rabinarayan Acharya
Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, Janakpuri, New Delhi
India

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Those who have learned to collaborate and improvise most efficiently have prevailed

Charles Darwin

At the outset, as per WHO, the concept of One Health intends to collectively establish health of people, animals and environment.[1] This integrative approach has been projected in goals of various African countries viz Rwanda, Nigeria for an instance.[2],[3] The measures for institutionalization of one health is are already adopted being adopted in Central and Eastern African Nations by encouraging cross-disciplinary collaborative efforts. Some successful models have been adopted focusing One health policies for curbing zoonotic diseases across the world particularly in Mekong basin countries in east and South-East Asia. Nepal and Bangladesh also have made efforts in implementing One health related activities to combat emerging public health emergencies like antimicrobial resistance.[4]

On similar lines, In Indian context, One Nation, One Health System (ONOHS) is a national initiative based on the national health policy 2017. The goal of the ONOHS is to arrange health facilities for all in a comprehensive and holistic manner.[5] Currently, in India, medical systems such as modern medicine, Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy are being practiced with varying levels of educational and occupational training. Every health care system has its own fundamental principles, concepts for diagnosing and treating diseases. The fundamental principles of a healthcare system may or may not be comparable and expressible in terms of the other system. However, a bird-eye view of the research and developments in various health systems, in past decades, signifies the unique benefits of each healthcare system in some specific conditions. Only the community involved in research, healthcare, and relevant fields are aware of such details. Meagre awareness is witnessed among the masses which make it difficult for them to availthe practical benefits from the remarkable potential of the other systems. Moreover, due to the availability of a wide range of medical facilities/interventions and the difference in knowledge utilization, the benefits of the other systems in similar conditions can be viewed with uncertainty. Therefore, collaboration among the healthcare systems to share knowledge, insights, understandings, and evidence can play a vital role in unraveling these uncertainties. The involvement of all sections of society, especially the aware citizens, relevant systems, and the participation of government and private sector institutions, is essential and particularly anticipated. Such cooperation between contemporary and traditional medical systems can also help bring harmony, and synchronize systems, thereby improving health services’ efficiency. In Ayush sector, the strategic plan of ONOHS must emphasize on three areas namely leadership that aids in reinforcement of collaborations, reaching out for community in order to strengthen infrastructure at grass root level and capacity building at student level by adopting certain academic development policies.

ONOHS’s goal can bring a revolutionary change in the nation’s healthcare services by offering a way to deliver the best suitable treatment modalities and equilibrium between contemporary and traditional medical systems. However, such a significant change will also demand dedication and insight with comprehensive, scientific, research-centered, and pragmatic strategies. The ONOHS approach can mobilize multiple health sectors, disciplines, and communities to work unanimously to develop innovative strategies that cater to the nation’s health needs and create long-term solutions. This approach is particularly relevant to solving the burden of non-communicable diseases, lifestyle, age, and climatic changes related to the manifestation of various diseases, epidemics, and pandemic situations. It can also play a vital role in predicting, detecting, preventing, and effectively responding to national health threats such as COVID-19.

The Ayush systems have served mankind for several centuries; the world seems particularly awakened to the impeccable age-old system of medicine post-COVID-19 and attracted the attention of the global health community. Synchronizing the Ayush and other health systems can be a milestone towards extending health benefits to the community and mainstreaming the traditional health systems. An anticipatory ONOHS implementation addressing our nations’ current challenges by creating national roadmaps can surely pave a way for successful transcendence of this policy.

As a step forward to explore the contribution and future scope of the Ayush systems in achieving the goal of “ONOHS,” the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has dedicated this special issue of the journal to disseminate innovative and experience-based scientific perspectives. We hope that this special issue may help to increase the perspicuity of the scientific nature of Ayush systems and challenges, strategies, and the future impact of ONOHS in harmonizing/synchronizing contemporary and traditional medical systems.

Financial support and sponsorship

Not applicable.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

References