From silos to systems: Achieving interoperability in India’s Ayush sector – A case study of the Ayush Grid

ABSTRACT: The Ayush Grid represents the digital backbone of India’s Traditional Medicine (TM) ecosystem, transforming fragmented digital assets of the Ministry of Ayush into an integrated, interoperable health infrastructure. By Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)-enabling platforms, centralizing services through the My Ayush Integrated Service Portal, and aligning with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), the Grid enables seamless data exchange across multiple domains, including Healthcare, Capacity building, Research and development, Medicinal plants, Ayush drug administration, Education and awareness, and Global/media outreach. This study analyzes how interoperability is architected and operationalized within the Ayush Grid and assesses its implications for India’s pluralistic health system. The examples such as the integration of Ayush-Hospital Management Information System (A-HMIS) with Prakriti assessment, National Ayush Morbidity And Standardized Terminologies Electronic (NAMASTE) morbidity codes, International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 11, Traditional Medicine Module 2 (ICD-11, TM2), Ayusoft, and citizen-facing applications like mYoga and Y-Break demonstrate the realization of patient-centric, standardized, and evidence-linked digital workflows. Comparative insights from China, Korea, and Brazil situate India’s experience within a broader global context of TM digitalization. The findings illustrate that the Ayush Grid exemplifies a pioneering model where interoperability bridges Traditional Knowledge and Modern Informatics, fostering holistic, resilient, and globally connected health systems. Using a descriptive case study approach, the paper identifies that interoperability in the Ayush Grid is achieved through a layered architecture, unified registries, and API-enabled integration. It finds that My Ayush Integrated Service Portal’s single-window framework, ICD-11 TM2 alignment, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted services operationalize patient-centric and standardized care and it concludes that these features collectively position the Ayush Grid as a replicable model for digital transformation in TM worldwide.