Lack of trained manpower worries Ayurveda industry

Wed, Apr 28 11:03 AM Usha Ram Manohar Kochi, Apr 28 (PTI) Mushrooming Ayurvedic spas and wellness clinics are attracting many people to Kerala but lack of adequate trained manpower is a cause of worry to the industry, say industry sources. Beauty and wellness treatments, weight reduction, stress management and specialised treatments are among those offered at the spas and wellness clinics. However, the Ayurveda industry is facing a shortage of qualified and trained personnel. India alone needs 20,000 trained therapists while the mushrooming Ayurvedic spas in the US, Germany, Russia, Singapore and Malaysia and West Asian countries would need trained hands numbering several lakhs, CII sources here said. "For the next few years, the industry''s annual requirement of trained therapists would exceed 20,000. The problems is of lack of quality hands. There is a huge gap between the demand and supply," says S Sajikumar, Managing Director, Dhathri Ayurveda Private Ltd. Dhathri plans to recruit about 2000 personnel to meet its immediate expansion plans, he said. The company, which would soon extend its clinics to various parts of India and Middle East was hunting for 160 Ayurvedic physicians. The spas and wellness clinics are mainly to attract the floating population, including tourists. Kerala Ayurveda has wellness clinics at Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Coimbatore and Hyderabad, which is mainly frequented by the IT crowd. Globally the wellness industry is estimated at over US$250 billion. There are about 75,000 standard spas world over that provide direct employment to about 1.5 million people, according to CII sources. The spa industry has witnessed substantial growth in the last decade and the spa concept has become a significant part of the dynamic hospitality and leisure industry, the sources said.