Meghalaya pushes AYUSH into mainstream healthcare amid rise in lifestyle diseases

With lifestyle diseases on the rise, Meghalaya is moving to bring AYUSH practices such as Ayurveda, Yoga, and Homeopathy into its mainstream healthcare system. The announcement came during the State-Level Arogya Fair 2025, one of the largest AYUSH events ever held in the state.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Wailadmiki Shylla said the focus must shift from treatment to prevention, urging citizens to embrace healthier lifestyles. “Health is the foundation of every society. A strong and prosperous state can only be built on the pillars of physical, mental, and social well-being of its people,” he told the gathering.

Commissioner and Secretary Joram Beda underlined the urgency, noting that non-communicable diseases have reached unprecedented levels in the state. “There is a very strong case for AYUSH stream of medicine to be part of the mainstream treatment protocols,” he said, stressing the need for collaboration between traditional and modern systems of care.

Medical experts at the fair pointed out that preventive measures rooted in AYUSH could reduce the burden of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart conditions. Ayurvedic physician Dr. Sunita Kharmawphlang said, “If AYUSH can be a tool toward prevention, that will reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. If we have proper advocacy, then we can promote our system at the grassroots level.”

The fair featured technical sessions on Ayurveda’s role in liver and cardiovascular health and highlighted outreach efforts to bring traditional practices closer to rural communities.

Officials said the government is treating this year’s Arogya Fair not as a one-off event but as the beginning of a broader push to make preventive healthcare accessible, affordable, and sustainable.