India News | Unlike Modern Medicine, Ayurveda and Yoga Take Long-term Approach to Human Health: President

New Delhi, Mar 21 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said Ayurveda, yoga and other traditional systems of medicine take a long-term and holistic approach to human health, unlike modern medicine which conducts a relatively short-term experiment to arrive at a conclusion.

The president, addressing an event at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi said ancient sages had discovered the secret of longevity "by living in harmony with nature and practising yoga".

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She also praised AIIMS, Delhi for embracing "ancient health healing practices to offer a mix of modernity and tradition in dealing with health matters".

Addressing the 49th annual convocation ceremony of AIIMS in the national capital, lauded the AIIMS for creating the benchmark in healthcare and medical education.

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Murmu said the institute is a proud "made-in-India" success story and is a model worth emulating across the country. "AIIMS is a running laboratory of the Gita's karma yoga," she added.

"Karma yoga" or yoga of action is one of three spiritual paths mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita.

"The doctors and researchers graduating today will have a pivotal role in strengthening our healthcare system and serving the nation with dedication," she said.

Addressing the convocation, Murmu also highlighted the need to focus on "proactive as opposed to "reactive" approaches to healthcare.

"As you all are aware, this is an era of medicine 3.0 which is described by Dr Peter Attia, an American physician and author, as the transition of healthcare from reactive to proactive approaches," she said.

In this new approach, a unique collaboration is forged between patients, doctors and diagnostic technologies to check the ailments at the initial stage, Murmu said.

Attia is a Canadian-American physician, researcher and author known for his work in longevity medicine. Medicine 3.0 is described as a concept focusing on prevention and long-term health as opposed to a focus on treatments.

The president said, "In the older times, our sages discovered the secret of longevity by living in harmony with nature and practising yoga."

"Unlike modern medicine which conducts a relatively short-term experiment to arrive at a conclusion, Ayurveda, yoga and many traditional systems of medicine take a long-term and holistic approach to human health," Murmu said.

She also exhorted AIIMS to launch a campaign to bring gender equality in healthcare protocol as it has been observed that there are far fewer female patients, compared to male patients, coming for treatment at the initial stage of heart ailments and diseases.

The president said AIIMS has been at the forefront of pathbreaking research, particularly during the time of pandemics such as COVID-19.

"The responsibility of AIIMS goes beyond healthcare, education and research. It extends to fostering an environment where every stakeholder's voice is heard, where resources are utilised judiciously and where excellence is the norm," she said.

The president emphasised that with advances in healthcare, life expectancy was also increasing. As a result, she said the number of ageing population is increasing, leading to new challenges in the field, including diseases arising out of lifestyle changes.

She urged the faculty of AIIMS, Delhi to launch an awareness drive on mental health "to make people aware of this hidden sickness".

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)