All India Institute of Ayurveda to become functional by 2016

Our correspondent /

AYUSH Ministry is setting up an All India Institute of Ayurveda in Delhi, which is conceived as an Apex Institute of Ayurveda along the lines of AIIMS. It is expected to start working by 2016 and it is the vision of the Government to have such hospitals in every state, said Union Minster of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik on Friday.

He said that the Government was taking the AYUSH system of medicines to the grass root through the network of Primary Health Centers (PHCs) under the National AYUSH Mission (NAM). The Minister was interacting with journalists at the Women’s Press Club in New Delhi Friday. Shripad Yesso Naik said that it is the mission of the Government that there should be an AYUSH Hospital in every district. Steps have been taken by the Ministry in this direction and proposals are being received from the states, the Minister added.

Highlighting the importance of research in the field of AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik said that the status of the AYUSH formulations should be clinically clear to promote them as medicines which will also help to increase their popularity outside India. The Minster said that there has to be an integrated approach to Allopathy and AYUSH systems of medicine. It is for this reason that the AYUSH facility will be provided in each of the upcoming AIIMS hospitals in different states. This integrated approach has already been adopted by some of the big private hospitals in the states, he said.

The Minister said that there are one lakh doctors of AYUSH in the country whose services can be used to supplement the existing facilitiesin the Primary Health Centres where there is a shortage of doctors. Shri Shripad Yesso Naik disclosed that he has written to the Prime Minister in this regard.

Giving details about the International Yoga Day, the Minister said that 192 countries of the UN participated in the event and many countries have continued to emphasise the importance of Yoga after that. The Government is keen to popularize Yoga throughout the country and under the scheme of NAM, provision has been made for giving funds for setting up of Yoga Wellness centers and Naturopathy centers, the Minister explained.