Immense scope for medical tourism between India and Netherlands: Ayush minister

There is an immense scope for cooperation in medical tourism between India and the Netherlands, Union minister of state for Ayush Shripad Yesso Naik said. The healthcare system in the Netherlands is one of the best in Europe, and there is a lot of potential to integrate traditional knowledge from India, he said at a seminar titled ‘India-Netherlands collaboration in Healthcare, including Ayurveda’ at Leiden.
Ayush refers to traditional and non-allopathic medical systems in India. It includes ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha, and homoeopathy. “India is the world’s largest producer of generic medicine and there is wide scope for medical value travel to India, both in conventional and alternative medical treatments such as Ayurveda,” Naik said at the seminar organised by the Indian Embassy in Hague. Emphasising that the scope for cooperation in the health sector between the two countries is immense, he said, “India and the Netherlands can work together closely to promote healthy living.”
Asserting that both the countries have top class medical practitioners, Naik said the Netherlands with its 2.25 lakh Indian origin population can lead the way in promoting Indian traditional medicine across Europe.
Addressing the seminar, Dutch minister for Medical Care and Sport Bruno Bruins said Ayurveda’s approach for healthcare differs for individuals and being healthy does not only mean being free from illness but also being independent, functional and participating in society.
The Indian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Venu Rajamony, pointed out that the biggest health challenge the Netherlands faces is high costs and the need for care for an ageing population.

Source PTI