National Clinical Management Protocol based on Ayurveda and Yoga for the management of Covid-19
The “National Clinical Management Protocol based on Ayurveda and Yoga for the management of Covid-19” released by the Ministry of AYUSH on 6th October 2020 is a milestone in the rapidly evolving scenario of Covid-19 responses in the country.
As the pandemic wreaks havoc across the globe and mankind scrambles to put together effective counters to it, attempts are being made in many countries to integrate traditional interventions along with standard of care. In India, experience from Covid-19 response activities as reported from different parts of the country have shown that Ayurveda and Yoga can play a pivotal role to augment the standard preventive measures for Covid-19. (The standard preventive measures are those provided in the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare).Taking note of this potential of Ayurveda and Yoga, expert committees from the concerned National Institutes and Central Councils for Research Centres along with a few other noted research institutions have collaborated and developed a protocol for the management of Covid-19.
The Protocol is based on the following three considerations:
- Knowledge from Ayurveda and Yoga classics and experience from clinical practices.
- Empirical evidences and Biological plausibility.
- Emerging trends of ongoing clinical studies related to Covid-19.
This is the Version 1.0 of the Ayush Protocol for Management of Covid-19, and covers Ayurveda and Yoga. The subsequent versions will incorporate the other Ayush systems.
It is added that the instant protocol is for the management of mild Covid-19. Individuals with moderate to severe Covid-19 can have the informed choice of treatment options. All severe cases need to be referred.
This protocol and its annexures are approved by the Chairman, Interdisciplinary Committee for the inclusion of Ayurveda and Yoga in the management of mild COVID-19 as well as by the empowered committee of the Interdisciplinary AYUSH Research and Development Taskforce on COVID-19, both constituted by the Ministry of AYUSH.
The significance of the National Clinical Management Protocol based on Ayurveda and Yoga for the management of Covid-19 is that it ends the ambiguity around deploying Ayurveda and Yoga-based solutions for the clinical management of Covid-19. The present protocol provides clear guidance to Ayush practitioners of the said two disciplines on how to approach the treatment of Covid-19 in patients in different conditions of COVID. This brings in uniformity and consistency in the Ayush-based responses to the pandemic across the country. It also helps State Governments to plan and incorporate these solutions into the Covid-19 responses activities that they would be deployed on the ground.
The protocol is expected to contribute to the mainstreaming of Ayush solutions of the management of Covid-19, and will be immensely beneficial to the public since these solutions are easily accessible and will help to alleviate the hardships brought in by the pandemic.
You can read the protocol here:
