Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday, 11 July 2026, inaugurated ACUCON 2026, a national conference on acupuncture, held in Nagpur, reiterating that patients stand to benefit most when all systems of medicine work in coordination rather than in isolation.

Context

Addressing the gathering, CM Fadnavis stated — in both Marathi and Hindi — that 'सर्व उपचार पद्धतींचा समन्वय साधून उपचार केल्यास रुग्णाला त्याचा लाभ होईल' ('If treatment is provided by coordinating all systems of medicine, the patient will benefit from it'). The remark underscores a growing consensus among policymakers that integrative medicine — combining acupuncture, AYUSH disciplines, and modern allopathy — delivers better patient outcomes than any single approach alone.

The conference, held in Nagpur, brought together practitioners, researchers, and health administrators to discuss acupuncture's role within India's broader healthcare framework. Nagpur has increasingly served as a venue for national-level health and alternative medicine dialogues, reflecting its stature as a major administrative and medical hub in Maharashtra.

Policy Backdrop

The event sits within a well-established policy trajectory. The central government created the Ministry of AYUSH in November 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote research into and integration of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy, and related traditional systems alongside conventional medicine. Successive national health policy documents have explicitly encouraged complementary systems — including acupuncture — to be mainstreamed within public health delivery.

Maharashtra has aligned with this direction by hosting training programmes and conferences that bring AYUSH practitioners and allopathic doctors to the same table. CM Fadnavis has overseen state health initiatives including expansions in medical education, and his presence at ACUCON 2026 signals continued political support for integrative approaches at the state level.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of an integrative medicine push are patients — particularly those managing chronic conditions — who gain access to a wider therapeutic toolkit. AYUSH practitioners and acupuncturists stand to gain formal recognition and referral pathways within the public health system, while allopathic doctors are increasingly encouraged to collaborate rather than compete with complementary practitioners.

For the acupuncture community specifically, a national conference of this scale — convened under the patronage of a sitting Chief Minister and invoked alongside Prime Minister Modi's name — provides institutional visibility that can translate into policy inclusion, curriculum recognition, and research funding.

What's Next

Observers will watch for any state-level guidelines on integrative medicine clinics that Maharashtra may release in the wake of ACUCON 2026, as well as the state's participation in forthcoming national AYUSH or acupuncture policy forums. The momentum generated by such conferences often feeds into formal health-ministry circulars and hospital protocols that determine how complementary therapies are delivered on the ground. If Maharashtra moves to formalise acupuncture within its public health network, it could set a template for other large states to follow.