Jitendra Singh calls yoga key to chronic disease management, calls for unified healthcare approach

Union Minister for Science and Technology, citing the example of yoga as an effective tool in managing chronic diseases, called for integration of medical system.

Speaking at the Doctors’ Day celebration organised by the national body of the Indian Medical Association at its headquarters in Delhi on Sunday, Singh called for dissolving silos between different systems of medicine, encouraging openness to integration rather than skepticism.

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The Minister emphasized the urgent need for a holistic and integrated approach to healthcare, blending modern allopathic medicine with AYUSH systems and cutting-edge technological advancements.

“The time for doubt is over. The world is moving toward integrative medicine — not out of sentiment, but out of necessity,” he added.

Singh also called upon doctors to introspect and adapt in current times, which is defined by rapid technological changes. He emphasised the importance of “unlearning and relearning” in an era defined by rapid technological change, including AI-assisted surgery, robotic diagnostics, and telemedicine.

Paying rich tributes to Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, the world-renowned physician and doyen of medical academics, Union Minister Jitendra Singh invoked Dr B C Roy’s legacy to emphasise the importance of restoring doctor-patient trust which was the hallmark of Dr Roy’s era in the first half of the 20th century.

Addressing the audience of medical professionals, Singh said, “One of the greatest traits of Dr. Roy was the unwavering trust he and his contemporaries commanded in society, without compromising his consultation fee or ethics.”

Calling doctor-patient trust epitome of medical practice during Dr Roy’s time, he recalled how no one questioned a consultation fee of over ₹66 in the 1940s.

Singh urged the medical fraternity to reclaim the dignity, integrity, and social faith that once defined the noble profession, while emphasizing that the changing perception of doctors stems not from individual failings alone but from larger shifts in societal values.