Child Healing Redefined: Goa Institute Combines Ayurveda, Yoga And Modern Care

Children with neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders can benefit from the integration of Ayurveda, yoga, and modern therapies, a senior official from the All India Institute of Ayurveda, Goa, said on Saturday. The institute launched in November 2025 the PRAYAS centre, a first-of-its-kind facility, which uses a combination of the three pathways to provide coordinated rehabilitation services and improve the quality of affected children's lives, the official said. Since its launch, the integrated paediatric neuro-rehabilitation centre has benefited 574 patients through the dedicated neuro-muscular and neuro-behavioural OPD, and extended integrated care to 176 children through IPD services, the institute said.

"PRAYAS is a beacon of hope for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, integrating Ayurveda's holistic principles with multidisciplinary therapies to foster remarkable improvements in their quality of life. We are committed to expanding this model to reach more families across India, building on our institute's dedication to innovative and compassionate care," Dr Sujata Kadam, Dean (Academic and Administration) at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) Goa, said.

A three-year-old boy who was diagnosed with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy was treated at the PRAYAS centre. "Earlier, my child was unable to stand or walk on his own. After receiving treatment at PRAYAS, there has been significant improvement, and my child is now able to walk without support," the mother of the child said.

Encouraging clinical outcomes have been observed in this case, Dr Rahul Ghuse, Assistant Professor, Department of Kaumarbhritya (Ayurved Pediatrics), AIIA Goa, said.

The institute is now looking towards tying up with special schools in the western coastal state to provide specialised services to children in community settings.

"We are looking forward to establishing memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with special schools across Goa. This collaboration will enable us to extend our specialised services directly to needy children, ensuring that integrative neuro-rehabilitation reaches those who need it most in community settings," Dr Ghuse said.

The PRAYAS at AIIA Goa, has been operational as a multidisciplinary facility offering integrated, child-centred care for conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), global developmental delay and other neuromuscular and neurobehavioral disorders.

The centre blends Ayurveda-based interventions with physiotherapy, yoga, speech therapy, occupational therapy and modern paediatric care, enabling comprehensive assessment, individualised care planning, caregiver counselling and structured follow-up, Dr Ghuse said.

Through a structured, evidence-informed integrative care pathway, PRAYAS is working towards measurable functional gains and improved quality of life for children with neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders, supported by standardised documentation and outcome tracking, the institute said.

Underscoring the next phase of strengthening and scale-up, Dr Sumeet Goel, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Kaumarbhritya (Ayurved Paediatrics), AIIA Goa, said, "Our future efforts will focus on developing standardised treatment guidelines and generating evidence to support replication of the PRAYAS model at larger public health levels, enabling wider access to integrative paediatric neuro-rehabilitation services." The momentum towards integrative models is also being reinforced at the state level.

In a recent engagement with Ayush and wellness stakeholders in Panaji, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant highlighted the state's growing potential in holistic wellness and called for a framework of guidelines to strengthen integrated wellness, while also reiterating Goa's vision to emerge as a global wellness and medical value travel hub.

This initiative supports the National Health Policy 2017, which promotes integrative, preventive, promotive and rehabilitative healthcare and strengthened service delivery across the continuum of care.

Globally, such service models resonate with international frameworks that emphasise people-centred integration of safe and effective traditional medicine into health systems, including focus on clinical practice guidelines, workforce development and standardised data systems, Dr Ghuse said.

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