Ayurvedic hospital patients can seek health cover, says govt

Patients subscribing to ayurveda for treatment will also be able to seek health cover as the Centre has issued guidelines to insurance companies to this effect, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

Patients at Central and state government hospitals, ayurvedic hospitals accredited by National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) or registered with a government authority will be eligible for health cover, MoS for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik said in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

The guidelines specify 20 different kinds of ailments that can be included in a health insurance scheme. It also lists the cost of different kinds of therapies in order to provide benchmarks for calculating treatment expenditure to settle an insurance claim.

According to the ministry, these guidelines are the outcome of consultations among Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), Ayurvedic Hospitals Association and Insurance Companies.

Similar guidelines will be issued "soon" for Unani, Siddha, Yoga, Naturopathy and Homeopathy, the AYUSH ministry said.