AIIMS Hospitals to Establish Dedicated Ayush Depts, Boosting Traditional Medicine Integration: Union Minister

Union Minister of Ayush, Sonowal, underscored the increasing global recognition of Ayush as a comprehensive approach to treatment and wellness.

AIIMS hospitals nationwide are set to establish dedicated Ayush departments, said Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal during a conference on Ayurveda in Panchkula, Haryana.

"All the AIIMS hospitals in the country, besides state hospitals, district level hospitals, Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres and sub-centres, Health and Wellness Centres, will have a dedicated Ayush department," he said.

Sonowal attributed this development to the significant progress India has made in revitalising traditional medicine under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the two-day conference on Ayurveda and the regional review meeting of Ayush in Panchkula, Sonowal highlighted the growing global acceptance of Ayush as a holistic treatment and wellness system.

He noted Prime Minister Modi's efforts in promoting Ayush over the past nine years, gaining unprecedented recognition worldwide. The Union Ayush Minister outlined the Ministry's efforts to build an organised Ayurveda ecosystem globally through education, research, products, and services.

Sonowal encouraged the youth and the public to explore entrepreneurial opportunities by commercially manufacturing Ayurvedic products related to agriculture, horticulture, and veterinary medicine.

"In India's Amrit Kaal, Ayush has a big role to play in driving the aim of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and this role has to be carried forward by the youth. There is a world of opportunity in front of them as they take up Ayush to heal humanity," Sonowal added.

The regional review meeting chaired by Sonowal focused on the 'National Ayush Mission' (NAM) for Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand. NAM is a flagship program of the Ministry of Ayush, aiming to provide Ayush healthcare services across the country by enhancing and strengthening Ayush healthcare facilities.

During the event, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh requested Sonowal to allocate a National Institute of Ayurveda to his state, expressing the intention to promote Ayurveda and convert it into an Ayurvedic Teachers' Training Institute.

The Ayurveda Day, scheduled to be celebrated on November 10, will focus on the theme "Ayurveda for One Health." Minister of State for Ayush, Munjpara Mahendrabhai emphasised the importance of integrating Ayurveda into lifestyle choices to strengthen health sector service delivery.

Ayurveda for One Health

Additionally, the Ministry of Ayush organised a month-long global campaign with the message "Ayurveda for One Health," which concluded on Thursday. The campaign aimed to highlight how Ayurveda contributes to the health of humans, animals, the environment, and plants, creating a unique Ayurvedic system.

As part of this initiative, an 'Ayurveda Mahaparva' expo and a review meeting of NAM for eight states were organised, where Ayurveda product manufacturers, startups, and professionals showcased their products.

The review meeting evaluated the activities and progress of the eight states under NAM, with the Ministry urging representatives to contribute to the success of the mission. The events and campaigns collectively underscore the growing significance of Ayush in the national and global healthcare landscape.

In a similar development, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) invited proposals to create the Ayush-ICMR Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research (AI-ACIHR) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) as part of the Extramural Program. This initiative follows a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed at an inter-ministerial level between the Union Ministry of Ayush and ICMR.

The primary objective of this initiative is to establish an integrated healthcare system that can inform future health policies and programs. It aims to promote high-impact research on Integrative Health, using modern scientific methods to generate evidence in priority areas of national healthcare importance.