Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Ayush Herbs USA finalized an externship

Ayush Herbs, Bastyr University Launch Externship Program
29.10.2014
Posted in News, Industry News, International, India, Ayurveda

REDMOND, Wash.—Ayush Herbs USA finalized an externship arrangement between Bastyr University of Kenmore, Washington, and the Rajiv Gandhi Government Post-Graduate Ayurvedic College (HP), India (RGGPGAC), effective October 18, 2014.

The arrangement, brokered by Shailinder Sodhi, BAMS (Ayurveda), ND, of Ayush Herbs USA, is the first of its kind between a Western-based institution and any Indian Ayurvedic medical university to train Ayurvedic (naturopathic) students in an externship program within India. The externship program will be offered two times per year, and will place Bastyr students in real-life learning situations in Indian Ayurvedic hospitals.

“We are very excited about this program, as it allows Bastyr students to get training in Ayurvedic medicine in real situations in India, where Ayurveda is a long-practiced and recognized medicine," Sodhi said. “It took a long time to get through all the legalities both here and in India to get this externship program finalized, and we at Ayush Herbs USA and Ayush Herbs India are proud to have facilitated this union."

According to Sodhi, this is a unique situation because no opportunity of this kind is available anywhere in the United States – currently, no Ayurvedic hospital exists here. He believes that this is a first step in the getting Ayurvedic medicine licensed and recognized throughout the United States.

The first externship program is scheduled for December of this year. Eight students will be participating in the program.

In recent years, AYUSH Herbs took on a project where it constructed a hydroelectric facility to power its farms and the communities that surround them.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Digital Citizenship Cards

India to Administrate Health Plan with Digital Citizenship Cards

India’s federal government will coordinate delivery of its ambitious new healthcare plan using its biometric identification card system, according to a new Economic Times article.

Announced only a few months ago, India’s new National Health Assurance Mission (NHAM) asserted a vision of federally-provided, affordable healthcare accessible to all Indian citizens. The plan would provide citizens with 50 essential drugs and 30 AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) drugs, in addition to other healthcare services. It was met with applause and also a bit of skepticism about how exactly it would be implemented, but at least one piece of that puzzle has fallen into place with this new development regarding Aadhaar.

Spearheaded by newly-elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Aadhaar is a national identification system being introduced as part of the government’s Digital India initiative. The plan is to get every single Indian citizen signed up for the identification card, which entails iris and fingerprint biometric scanning. Linking the NHAM to the Aadhaar card system will allow the government to secure itself against fraudulent health insurance claims, and will also provider greater healthcare access to citizens.

It’s an ambitious and impressive plan, and by no means is it the only large-scale application of India’s growing biometric identification database: The government is also using public employees’ Aadhaar cards to track their activities at work; it plans to use the Aadhaar cards to administer food and fuel rations; and it’s going to install biometric scanners at major transportation terminals throughout the country.
October 21, 2014 – by Alex Perala
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