The Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has announced an investment of more than ₹100 crores to develop the Ayush healthcare sector in the northeast state of Nagaland. One 30-bedded Ayush hospital and three 10-bedded hospitals along with one Ayurvedic college, which will be developed in the state with the allocated funds, are part of the plan.
An integrated Ayush Hospital was also inaugurated by the Union Minister at Razha Chedema in Kohima on Friday.
The 30-bedded Ayush hospitals will be developed at Kihpire, while the 10 bedded Ayush hospitals will be developed each at Mokokchung at Nagaland University, Dimapur and Wokha.
To give a fillip to the higher education in Ayush in the region, the union minister announced the setting up of a state-of-the-art Ayurvedic college at Longleng. The cost of this college is estimated at ₹70 crores.
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Sonowal said the Northeast has an immense potential to become the hub in the Ayush sector. He said, with our rich traditional knowledge base in folk medicine and the bounty of flora, we can provide health and wellness solutions for the people of India as well as in neighbouring countries. “This will give us economic strength and our community will be blessed with a healing touch to treat human illness” he added.
The minister informed that the ministry has taken steps for the development of Ayush with an investment of ₹172 crore in Nagaland and Mizoram. He said that 10 new Ayush hospitals and one Ayurvedic college would be set up in these two states.
For the preservation and conservation of folk medicine in the region, the union minister said, “The Ayush ministry is conducting a multi-centric research project to critically appraise and validate Local Health Traditions (LHT), Oral health Traditions (OHT) and Ethno Medicinal Practices (EMP) among ethnic communities of the Northeast.”
The Minister of Health and Family Welfare S Pangnyu Phom, Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Dr Niekiesalie Kire and other senior officials of Nagaland government and Centre’s AYUSH ministry also attended the meeting.