To reduce the rising cost of healthcare, India needs to bring traditional medicine systems, such as Ayurveda, into the mainstream, said renowned cardiovascular surgeon Dr Naresh Trehan.

Addressing the HT Leadership Summit on Friday, he said, “The new era of Indian medicine lies in putting to test the gems of herbal medicine along with modern science. Ayurveda works from within the body and decreases the need for intensive medical intervention, thereby reducing the overall cost.”

Trehan — whose ‘Medicity Medanta’ in Gurgaon, with 1,250-1,800 beds and specialty care, would be one of the largest healthcare facilities in the country — was speaking on Innovative Solutions to Health Challenges.

He said the healthcare sector would have to form a task force to work parallel to the government.

“The task force can very well facilitate access to healthcare for all villages in just five years — a target the government has not been able to meet in over two decades,” Trehan said.

Also speaking at the session, Dr K. Srinath Reddy, president, Public Health Foundation of India, said that while the technology was in place to prevent pandemics, India was still home to the largest number of tuberculosis and measles patients.

Dr Salim J. Habayeb, World Health Organisation representative in India, said while quite a few pandemics had broken out in the last few years, many more had been prevented through public health initiatives.

Dr George W. Weightman, associate director and chief operating officer of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, said research and development had reached a stage where regenerated organs would be a reality sooner rather than later. “Results are encouraging on tests for organs made from patients’ own tissues,” he said.