Express News Service
GUWAHATI: The Centre will set up 1,000 health and wellness centres (HWC) in the Northeast as a part of the National Ayush Mission (NAM) for the growth and development of Ayush systems.
An announcement to this effect was made by the Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal at a conference with the health ministers of the states in the Northeast in Guwahati on Saturday.
The aim of these centres will be to provide a holistic wellness model based on principles of Ayush systems of medicine. Altogether 12,500 HWCs will be operationalised in the country.
To boost the popularity of traditional medicines provided by Ayush, Sonowal announced the setting up of 100 Ayush dispensaries under NAM in the Northeast.
He said Rs 70 crore would be provided for the establishment of a new ayurvedic college at Dudhnoi in Assam’s Goalpara. The Ayush Ministry has decided to upgrade the Government Ayurvedic College in Guwahati and develop it as a centre of excellence. A sum of Rs 10 crore will be provided to it as a grant.
The states in the Northeast were requested to put up specific proposals to the ministry for new Ayush educational institutions.
“A facilitation centre for semi-processing of raw material is going to be opened in Northeast. It is also envisaged to set up Regional Raw Drug Repository in the Northeast states in collaboration with the National Institute of Bio-resources and sustainable development in Imphal under Department of Bio-Technology,” an official statement said.
It further stated the Ayush medical facilities under the state governments in the Northeast, central government and teaching hospitals in Ayush colleges would be brought under Ayush-Health Management Information System (AHMIS).
The AHMIS is a comprehensive IT platform to effectively manage all functions of health care delivery systems and patient care in Ayush facilities. It is developed with an aim to improve patient care, work efficiency, effective management and scientific documentation and research of Ayush.