Citizens encouraged to avail AYUSH treatment

KOHIMA — Encouraged by the steady growth of people seeking AYUSH treatment coupled with increased level of awareness post COVID-19 pandemic, officials of the National AYUSH Mission have encouraged citizens to avail AYUSH treatments, which are made available across the state.

Addressing a press conference in Kohima on Tuesday, Dr. T Bendangtula, deputy director of AYUSH; Dr. Vilas Gangurde, research officer of AYUSH in-charge of the Regional Ayurveda Research Centre (RARC), Dimapur, and other officials highlighted various facilities made available in the state.

Dr. Bendangtula explained that AYUSH comprises five systems of medicine namely Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homeopathy. She also discussed the origin of the Ministry of AYUSH at the centre and in the state.

She informed that there are 142 Ayush doctors, 25 of whom are in state service and 117 in contractual service in the state. She stated that those doctors are posted across districts in District Hospitals (DH), Community Health Centres (CHC) and Primary Health Centres (PHC) and functioning simultaneously with allopathic medicine.

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She informed that there are three exclusive Integrated AYUSH Hospitals located in Noklak, Razha Chedema and Dimapur, in addition to the introduction of 49 AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres across the state, where citizens could receive AYUSH treatment and other services.

The deputy director also stated that AYUSH plays a significant role in promotive and preventive healthcare, adding that it not only provides medicines to patients but also encourages healthy living.

Highlighting the abundance of medicinal plants in the state with more than 1500 indigenous species, she said that NAM has been promoting kitchen gardens on a small scale to encourage citizens to grow medicinal plants in their flower pots.

She further encouraged citizens to take advantage of the AYUSH facilities with doctors posted across the state.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bendangtula informed that the National Bioresource Mission has identified 650 medicinal plants with all the details and purposes compiled into a book. She added that more efforts would be made to identify additional plants to harness their benefits.

Pointing out that there is no manufacturing unit for herbal medicines in the state, she expressed hope that through the State Medicinal Plant Board (SMPB) under the National Medicinal Plant Board (NMPB)—a component of the Ministry of AYUSH—a manufacturing unit could be established to make use of resources for manufacturing AYUSH drugs.

Dr. Bendangtula shared that NAM intends to engage and involve more traditional and indigenous medicine practitioners in the AYUSH institutions.

She informed that traditional health practitioners, also known as indigenous health practitioners, are being certified by the Northeast Christian University (NECU) in the state, which is authorised by the Quality Council of India at the Centre. The motive was to promote and preserve indigenous practitioners whose knowledge cannot be trained but is inherited from father to child.

Dr. Vilas Gangurde, research officer (AYUSH) in-charge of the Regional Ayurveda Research Centre (RARC), Dimapur, highlighted the 100 days of AYUSH activities across the country.

He observed that people do not take preventive action despite the saying ‘prevention is better than cure’ and stressed the importance of focusing on this aspect.

The department also informed that it had conducted free health camps for senior citizens under the Geriatric programme across Nagaland in August, covering all 12 districts.

The officials also pointed out the high prevalence of gastritis and other non-communicable diseases even among younger people, which could eventually lead to cancer and other complications.