1000 health, wellness centres to be opened in NE: Sonowal
From Sandeep Sharma
GUWAHATI: Union AYUSH minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday announced that 1000 new Health & Wellness Centres (HWC) will be opened in the Northeast as part of the National Ayush Mission (NAM) Scheme.
Sonowal made the announcement during a conference of AYUSH and health ministers of Northeastern states for the promotion of Ayush systems.
Sonowal while addressing the media announced that in order to boost the education and training of Ayush medicinal experts, financial provision of Rs 70 crore under National Ayush Mission (NAM) support, is to be provided for establishment of a new Ayurvedic College at Dudhnoi in Goalpara.
The ministry of AYUSH has also decided to upgrade the Government Ayurvedic College in Guwahati and develop it as a Centre of Excellence and a sum of Rs 10 crore as financial grant is to be provided in this regard, he added.
Sonowal also announced that as many as 1000 new Health & Wellness Centres (HWC), as part of the National Ayush Mission (NAM) Scheme, will be opened in the NE states for growth and development of Ayush systems.
With an aim to boost the popularity of traditional medicines provided by Ayush, the minister also announced setting up of 100 Ayush dispensaries under NAM in the northeast region.
Informing that a facilitation Centre for semi processing of raw material is going to be opened up in NE the Union minister said that along with this, it is also envisaged to set up Regional Raw Drug Repository (RRDR) in NE states in collaboration with National Institute of Bio-resources and sustainable development in Imphal, Manipur under department of bio-technology.
The Ayush medical facilities under Northeastern state governments, central government and teaching hospitals in Ayush Colleges will be brought under Ayush-Health Management Information System (AHMIS) so as to develop a digital database of Ayush interventions in various disease management, the minister informed.
Sonowal also informed that the Ayush ministry has planned to organise yearlong programmes on Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to mark the 75 years of Independence by launching various initiatives by the ministry. The launching ceremony of the events will be held from 30th August to 5th September.
In his speech, Union minister of state for AYUSH Dr Munjapara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai said that the government of India is taking various initiatives to promote traditional medicinal practices with increase in investments in the Northeast region.
Addressing the programme, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has called for systematic development of AYUSH sector in the Northeastern region.
Sarma said, “AYUSH is our heritage and intrinsically linked to our civilization. Whatever way we contribute to the AYUSH system, it will further enrich our civilization”. The chief minister also said that the north eastern states have tremendous potential in the AYUSH sector as the region has rich biodiversity. If this potential is developed in a systematic way, the north-east can become an AYUSH hub in future, he added.
The chief minister also underlined the role of Ayurvedic medicine in preventive and clinical management during Covid period. He also informed that the state government in a bid to boost the AYUSH system has taken up construction of AYUSH Hospitals at Dudhnoi and Majuli. While construction of the AYUSH hospital at Dudhnoi is already complete, the hospital at Majuli would be completed soon.
The chief minister also said that presently Assam has one Government Ayurvedic College. Considering the potential of the sector, he urged the Union AYUSH minister for granting another Ayurvedic college in Assam and informed that land for the same has already been identified at Dudhnoi.
Earlier, director general of Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) Dr. N Srikanth, deputy chief executive officer of NMPB Shekhar Sanwal, assistant vice president of Invest India Astha Tyagi, Dr. Goodwin Newton of Dabur Research and Development Centre and joint advisor of AYUSH Dr. A. Raghu made a detailed presentation highlighting the potential and possibilities of the AYUSH sector in the north east and activities being implemented by the Ministry in the region.
Coinciding with the occasion, several publications brought out by CCRAS were also released by the dignitaries. While Vd. Rajesh Kotecha, secretary to the government of India, ministry of AYUSH delivered the welcome speech, the vote of thanks was offered by the special secretary, ministry of AYUSH Pramod Kumar Pathak.
Several senior officials of the ministry of AYUSH and representatives of the governments of the North Eastern states were present in the conference.
