India-Oman AYUSH Information Cell opens at Muscat hospital

An India-Oman AYUSH Information Cell was inaugurated on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at KIMS Health Hospital in Darsait, Muscat, by India's Ambassador to Oman, Prashant Pise. The cell is a joint initiative of the Embassy of India in Muscat and KIMS Health Medical Center, set up under the auspices of India's Ministry of Ayush, to share information on India's traditional medicine systems with people in Oman.

Ayush is the Indian government's umbrella term for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy. Under its international cooperation work, the Ministry of Ayush promotes these systems abroad through agreements between countries, academic chairs at foreign universities and Ayush Information Cells. The cells are meant to be a first point of contact, where people can find reliable information, attend talks and training sessions, and connect with practitioners and institutions.

The Muscat cell adds Oman to that network. A recent journal article in Frontiers in Medicine put the network at 42 Ayush Information Cells across 38 countries, alongside 15 academic chairs at foreign universities. Later counts around Ayurveda Day 2026 were higher, so the exact figure today depends on the source, but the Oman cell is one of the newest additions.

The Muscat cell grew out of the two governments' wider ties: the arrangement was finalised around the Prime Minister's visit to Oman in December 2025, and the launch drew both members of the Indian community and Omani guests. Hosting the cell at a hospital, rather than only at the embassy, also places information on traditional medicine inside a mainstream healthcare setting, where visitors may be more likely to ask questions.

Speaking at the launch, Ambassador Pise described the cell as a sign of the long friendship between the two countries and their shared interest in holistic health. Dr Mustafa said KIMS was proud to work with the embassy to give people in Oman reliable information on Ayush.

It is important to be clear about what an information cell does and does not do. Its stated role is awareness, education and networking: lectures, seminars, training courses and links between stakeholders. It is not a regulator, and the information it shares does not change how Oman's own health authorities approve or oversee medicines and treatments. Claims about the benefits of any Ayush therapy rest on the evidence for that therapy, which varies by condition and system, and readers should look for named studies or official bodies before relying on them.

Short-term: People in Oman, including the Indian community and Omani citizens, now have a fixed place in Muscat to find information on Ayush systems and to attend lectures, seminars and training sessions organised through the cell.

Long-term: The cell could help build links between Indian Ayush institutions and practitioners and those in Oman, and may support future cooperation in education, training and research. How much it achieves will depend on the programmes it runs and how widely they reach beyond the Indian diaspora.

Who is affected: The Indian community in Oman; Omani citizens interested in traditional medicine; Ayush practitioners, students and institutions in both countries; KIMS Health Oman; and the Indian Embassy in Muscat, which will help run the cell's activities.

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