In an attempt to encourage traditional medicine and Ayurverdic practices, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan urged all state governments to work with the Centre to improve the quality of Ayurveda healthcare services in the country.
Many of the states and union territories were represented by top officials and bureaucrats of the health department. Vardhan said that the central government was committed to promoting Ayurveda and other traditional healing systems. And the recommendations from the World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) will be vital to the policy making efforts. He added, "A draft National Health Policy is expected to be ready by the end of the year and one of the key objectives of the newly constituted Ayush Mission is to ensure that the central government provides all support to state governments working to promote traditional medicine." The minister urged states to develop implementable projects and schemes to usher in universal healthcare. Speaking on the occasion, Karnataka Health Minister U.T. Khader said that the focus should be on rolling out disease prevention programmes rather than setting up more and more hospitals. Khader added, "Ayurveda and other traditional methods could be extremely effective as preventative measures and should be integrated into the mainstream medical systems." Tamil Nadu's health minister C. Vijaya Bhaskar pointed out that his was the only state that had a separate department for Indian traditional medicines in government medical colleges. The health ministers assured of their governments' commitment to the promotion of Ayurveda and the creation of holistic healthcare systems.