Until now five editions of the Congress have been organised at Cochin, Pune, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Bhopal. The highest number of delegates, numbering more than 4200 attended the WAC at Bengaluru. The largest number of visitors who participated in the AROGYA Expo was at Pune where more than 500,000 individuals took advantage of the Forum. The highest number of foreign delegates numbering 264 attended the Bengaluru Congress.,
World Ayurveda Foundation now plans to hold the 6th edition of the Congress at Delhi in Pragati Maidan from 6th to 9th November 2014,when it is expected that the number of delegates and visitors would double the Bengaluru experience. In keeping with the past practice, it is proposed to hold four plenary sessions, 25 parallel sessions as well as providing scope for poster presentations. The associated events which are being planned include a Seminar on Medicinal Plants, a business meet coordinated by Pharmexil, an Editors Conclave, and international Delegates Assembly and a Guru shishya meet.
Focal Theme
Among the several focal themes considered, ‘Health Challenges and Ayurveda’ has been finalized to be the theme of this edition of the Congress. For the past 30 years, the large, densely populated and enormously varied Republic of India has made impressive efforts in the field of health. However, the unfinished agenda must address deficiencies in service outreach, government expenditures, high out-of-pocket costs, and limited health insurance coverage. There are also healthcare infrastructure gaps and disparities across the Indian states and between urban and rural populatons, measured by such indicators as the number of hospital beds and doctor-patient ratios.
India’s overall health indicators remain below international averages and account for 21% of the world’s global burden of disease. Basic sanitation, nutrition, and living standards need improvement. And although important progress has been made with some diseases, not all communicable diseases have been brought under satisfactory control. In addition, the rapid changes in India’s society and lifestyles have ledto a surge in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), comprising mainly heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease/asthma.
The prevalence of modifiable NCD risk factors such as use of tobacco, alcohol abuse, poor diet, and sedentary lifestyles has risen steadily over the past 30 years.Air pollution – both indoor and outdoor – is also an important risk factor due to its role in cancer, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease. As life expectancy increases, the burden of disease in old age increases. Currently, 5.3% of India’s population is aged 65 or older, with the number projected to increase to 10.2% by 2035. This age group is the most affected by illness, and nearly all NCDs increase in prevalence with age.
India has a uniquely pluralistic healthcare system, with the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) component making up a significant proportion of medical practitioners. Almost 63% of AYUSH doctors practice Ayurveda. Yet, the AYUSH workforce remains underutilised and the strengths of Ayurveda in particular are unrealised. Meanwhile, the government is taking steps to make better use of the available human resources to fill gaps in the modern system of medicine. Ayurveda does have answers to many of the health challenges facing the country. Non-communicable diseases, mother and child health, lifestyle modification, nutrition, and prevention are all potential areas where Ayurveda can play a pivotal role. It is now time to realise the potential of Ayurveda and develop an action plan that will improve health care in India, and serve as a model for public health globally. The aim of the 6th WAC (World Ayurveda Congress) is to develop such a vision and strategy for public action.
Broad Outline of 6th World Ayurveda Congress
The 6th edition of the World Ayurveda Congress, proposed to be held at New Delhi during 6th to 9th November2014, is expected to consolidate the momentum of this forum gained so far and boost up the popularity of Ayurveda across the globe. The capital city of New Delhi will witness one of the largest gatherings of scientific community in recent past.With nearly 5 lakh visitors and 4000 delegates expected to be in attendance this year,
With nearly 5 lakh visitors and 4000 delegates expected to be in attendance this year, the Congress is reinforcing its identity as a global summit that brings together a diversity of stakeholders of Ayurveda on to a common, meaningful and popular platform.
The distinguished invitees of the Congress will include heads of nations, Nobel Laureates, renowned spiritual leaders, policy makers, heads of manufacturing companies and world eminent academicians. All major research institutions, universities, colleges, hospitals, publishers, industries and national and international marketing firms.
The Salient features of 6thWAC include:
Academic Sessions
The Congress is designed to benefit the following targetgroups/areas:-
The 6th WAC shall showcase as to how Ayurveda can provide safe, cost-efficient and effective health-care for all, especially in the following important areas.
The academic sessions of the 6thWAC are structured in such a way that the plenary sessions will take on the evolution of various concepts and the parallel sessions emerging from the plenary topics. The plenary and corresponding parallel sessions will be conducted on the same dates. Listed below are the themes identified for the Plenary Sessionsfor this edition of the Congress:
a) Public Health
b) Education
c)Global Development and Opportunities
d)Clinical Practice and Integrative Medicine
The plenary will be addressed by the most eminent scientists, academicians, policy makers or Ayurveda practitioners (clinicians).
Other academic activities in the congress include:
a)Pre-congress workshops
Following pre-congress workshops are being organised for students, researchers, vaidyas, andacademicians:
Topics
b)Associate Events
Highlights of Associate Events:
a) Exclusive Meet of Gurus and Shishyas with Experts in Modern Education and Sciences (Guru-ShishyaSamvada)
The Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, has initiated the ‘Guru–ShishyaParampara’ mode of teaching Ayurveda. This is a unique and ancient way of teaching that was prevalent in ancient India. In this mode of teaching, the ‘Guru’ (teacher) transfers his knowledge to his ‘Shishya’ (student) over a period of time. An attempt is being made now to revive this ‘Parampara’ or lineage to impart knowledge on Ayurveda. As part of reviving this tradition, the government has identified about 100 such traditional Gurus as on March 2010 to train about 300 students a year. The Congress brings together the Gurus and their Shishyas to meet with the experts of modern education and sciences. The objective of this ‘Exclusive Meet’ is to enrich the teaching skills of Gurus and orient both Gurus and Shishyas on the importance of keeping this tradition alive. The Shishyas of this scheme will also get a rare opportunity to interact with experts from different walks of life.
b) Exclusive Meet of Healers including North-East and Tribal Region
The north-eastern and tribal regions of this country represent the richest and unique traditions in health-care. The local healers in these regions are knowledge banks of regional flora and practices. Therefore, it is extremely important to harness their knowledge and make it available to the rest of world. With this intention, the 6th World Ayurveda Congress intends to bring together hundreds of such precious resources (practitioners) from all over India including these regions on to a common
platform to demonstrate not only their skills but to exhibit their products as well. The Congress will also arrange group discussions and exclusive seminars to facilitate exchange of local knowledge and skill.
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