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Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, MD (Ayu), Padma Shri, is Secretary of the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, and internationally regarded as one of the most influential contemporary representatives of Ayurveda and Traditional Medicine. As physician, educator, researcher, healthcare strategist, and visionary leader, he has played a historic role in bringing Ayurveda into global healthcare dialogue and modern integrative medicine.
Before his appointment as Secretary of the Ministry of AYUSH in 2017 — as the first non-bureaucratic Ayurveda expert appointed to such a position in India — Dr. Kotecha worked for many years in clinical Ayurveda, research, higher education, and international cooperation. He also served as Vice Chancellor of Gujarat Ayurveda University, Jamnagar, one of the world’s most important Ayurveda universities.
Under his leadership, the Ministry of AYUSH significantly expanded international cooperation, scientific research, education, digital innovation, and the global visibility of Ayurveda. He actively contributed to collaborations with WHO and international institutions and strongly advocates prevention, resilience, lifestyle medicine, and integrative healthcare solutions for chronic diseases and public health challenges.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Kotecha played a major role in coordinating nationwide AYUSH prevention and immunity programmes and strengthening integrative healthcare approaches within India’s public health response.
For his outstanding contribution to Ayurveda and medicine, he received several prestigious honours, including the Padma Shri Award for Medicine (2015) — one of India’s highest civilian distinctions — the Global Ayurveda Physician Award (2007), and the Ayurveda Ratna Award (2008).
Known for his visionary yet deeply practical leadership style, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha is regarded today as one of the key architects of Ayurveda’s modern international development and integration into contemporary healthcare systems.
At the Ayurveda Symposium 2026, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha will contribute perspectives on the global future of Ayurveda, integrative healthcare systems, prevention, resilience, and the growing role of traditional medicine in modern society.
» AYUSH systems have significantly contributed in the past bringing down the infirmities by its unique modalities which includes pharmacological, non-pharmacological interventions, diet, lifestyle and other practices. Ministry of AYUSH is actively working in the present COVID-19 pandemic situation by initiating various activities like releasing self care guidelines for preventive health measures to boost immunity and guidelines for uniform management of COVID-19 pandemic for registered practitioners. AYUSH has initiated various clinical studies (prophylactic and add-on interventions of AYUSH systems), impact of AYUSH based prophylactic population based survey studies to address the challenges of COVID-19 at more than 50 locations in 25 states of the country and impact of AYUSH advocacies and AYUSH measures to prevent current pandemic. These ongoing studies will definitely generate scientific evidences which will lead to greater acceptability of AYUSH systems of healthcare.
2026 © Rosenberg Ayurveda Akademie gGmbH
