The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, today inaugurated Saushrutam 2026, a three-day international seminar on Ayurvedic surgery, at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi. The seminar is being organised by AIIA under the Ministry of Ayush on the occasion of Sushruta Jayanti and has brought together eminent surgeons, researchers, academicians and policymakers from India and abroad.
On the occasion, the President inaugurated a state-of-the-art AI-enabled 3 Tesla High-Field MRI facility at AIIA and witnessed the release of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) study titled Evaluation of Professional Career of Ayurveda Female Graduates – An Observational Exploratory Study.
Addressing the gathering, the President said Acharya Sushruta’s pioneering contributions laid the foundation of scientific and systematic surgical practices in the world and that Ayurveda’s holistic approach to health continues to hold relevance in modern healthcare. She said preserving biodiversity is essential for the sustainable growth of Ayurveda and stressed the need to ensure the availability of medicinal plants while strengthening traditional knowledge through scientific validation.
The President called for greater participation of women in the Ayurveda workforce and urged collective efforts to address the challenges women professionals face in building long-term careers. Commending the Ministry of Ayush for promoting Ayurveda globally, she said the integration of traditional knowledge with advanced technologies, modern diagnostics and scientific research is expanding the scope and credibility of the system. She expressed confidence that initiatives such as Saushrutam 2026 would further strengthen evidence-based practice and enhance the global acceptance of Ayurveda.
Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu, said India’s civilisational strength lies in its rich knowledge traditions, with Ayurveda being one of its most enduring contributions. He noted that healthcare systems worldwide are increasingly recognising the value of preventive, holistic and lifestyle-based approaches alongside contemporary medicine and underlined the need to strengthen scientific research, evidence generation and international collaboration to enhance Ayurveda’s credibility and global acceptance. Institutions such as AIIA, he added, have a pivotal role in integrating traditional knowledge with modern science through quality education, research and innovation.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush and Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav, said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Ayurveda has gained unprecedented global recognition and renewed momentum, with Saushrutam 2026 providing an important platform for advancing excellence in Ayurvedic surgery while fostering international cooperation. Referring to the NCISM study, he highlighted the challenges faced by women Ayurveda graduates in career progression and emphasised the need for policy interventions and institutional support to increase their participation in leadership, research and clinical practice. He also underlined the importance of empowering young Ayurveda professionals to contribute to nation-building and global healthcare.
Welcoming the dignitaries, Prof. (Vd.) P. K. Prajapati, Director, AIIA, said Saushrutam 2026 marks a significant milestone in integrating classical Ayurvedic surgical knowledge with contemporary scientific advancements. He said the seminar would strengthen academic collaboration, promote high-quality research and enhance clinical excellence in Ayurvedic surgery at both the national and international levels.
The newly inaugurated AI-enabled 3 Tesla High-Field MRI facility will significantly strengthen diagnostic services at AIIA, facilitate integrative research between Ayurveda and modern medicine, and provide affordable, high-quality imaging services to patients.
About Saushrutam 2026
The three-day international seminar has drawn experts from Thailand, Israel, Austria, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Nepal and Greece, besides India. Its scientific programme features keynote lectures, panel discussions, workshops and technical sessions on Shalya Tantra, Kshara Sutra, Agnikarma, reconstructive surgery, integrative oncology and other emerging areas of research. Saushrutam 2026 seeks to promote evidence-based dialogue, foster innovation and strengthen global collaboration for advancing Ayurvedic surgical sciences.
