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Remarks by Ambassador Sibi George on the occasion of Ayurveda Day in Berne, October 25, 2019

Posted on: October 25, 2019 | Back | Print

Remarks by Ambassador Sibi George on the occasion of Ayurveda Day in Berne, October 25, 2019

Your Excellency Ambassador Nora Kronig Romero, Head of International Affairs Division in the Federal Office of Public Health, Ayurveda experts, teachers, students, Friends of India, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Evening.

Let me begin by wishing you a very happy Ayurveda Day, which we celebrate today on the occasion of Lord Dhanvantari Jayanti. The theme of the Day is ‘Ayurveda for Longivity’.

I am happy that we are celebrating this day today. I congratulate the Commerce Wing of the Embassy for organising this event. I also congratulate the Wing for bringing our regularly an Ayurveda Bulletin.

I am happy that Her Excellency Ambassador Nora Kronig has joined us today. I welcome her to this evening. I thank the Her Excellency for her support that I have received in my endeavour to generate awareness on Ayurveda in Switzerland.  I also welcome proponents and practioners of Ayurveda and friends of India who have come in large numbers to join us today.

During my stay in Switzerland, I have experienced how Ayurveda is being embraced by a large number of friends in Switzerland. I have learnt that according to some sources, up to 80 percent of people in India use some form of traditional medicine which includes Ayurveda. The number of Swiss friends travelling to India for medical and wellness tourism is on the rise.

Today we have here among us several experts and successful practitioners of Ayurveda. I should not venture to make any detailed presentation on Ayurveda in their presence. For me like our Yoga it is part of our proud heritage. It encompasses all attributes of a mature and complete medical science encompassing anatomy, physiology, pharmaceutics, disease causation-evolution and disease management. It goes beyond just being a curative system of medicine to being a preventive and promotive healthcare system as well.

Ayurveda and Wellness have become essential part of our Healthcare, which is one of India’s largest sectors - both in terms of revenue and employment. Healthcare in India comprises hospitals, medical devices, clinical trials, outsourcing, telemedicine, medical tourism, health insurance and medical equipment. India’s healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing sectors and it is expected to reach $280 billion by 2020. This sector is growing at a brisk pace due to its wide coverage, services and increasing investment by public as well private players. India's competitive advantage also lies in its large pool of well-trained medical professionals including practioners in in Ayurveda and other traditional medicines. In addition to highly trained Ayurveda doctors, a full chain of highly trained professionals ranging from Panchkarma Therapist, Ayurvedic Dietician, Paralysis Analyst, Ayurveda Pharmacist are available across the country. The progress that India made in IT and digital transformation is also being uniquely leveraged to enable the Ayurveda sector to leapfrog, to scale exponentially to achieve its true potential in India and abroad.

One of the major areas of cooperation between India and Switzerland is the health sector. I am happy to note that Ayurveda is among the topics discussed during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Switzerland in 2018 and Hon’ble President of India during his State visit last month. I recall the discussions on Ayurveda they had with Hon’ble Federal Council and Head of Federal Department of Home Affairs, HE Mr. Alain Berset.

At the business level, most of the major pharmaceutical companies have presence in India. Their engagement is increasing rapidly. Ayushman Bharat flagship programme launched by Prime Minister in September 2018, the world’s largest public health care programme is providing opportunities for deeper engagement. 

Once again I wish you a very happy Ayurveda Day.

Thank you.

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