Phom highlights Nagaland’s Ayush activities at Delhi conclave

[caption id="attachment_232230" align="aligncenter" width="500"] S Pangnyu Phom, right, attended the 4th Ayush Ministers’ Conference at Delhi, on Wednesday.[/caption] Dimapur, Feb. 6 (EMN): Nagaland’s minister for Health and Family Welfare, S Pangnyu Phom, attended the 4th Ayush Ministers’ Conference at Delhi on Wednesday. A press release from the minister’s establishment stated the speech he delivered at the event. Speaking at the conference, the minister acknowledged the contribution of the Ayush Society in Nagaland. ‘As you all are aware that Nagaland state is the 16th state of our country which was formed on December 1 1963 by a political agreement. For more than 50 years, apart from traditional healers, allopathic (treatment) has been the only means for treatment in health sector,” the press release quoted the minister’s address at the conference. The minister claimed that the Ayush Society was playing an important role and “contributing immensely” to the healthcare system ‘across the country and particularly in Nagaland.’ Phom also said that the government was fully “committed and sincerely working” to promote the Ayush in the state. “At the same time, the government of Nagaland is also fully committed to promote Ayush system in the state and as a result of our commitment, we have six regular doctors, creation of another eight regular medical officer posts is under process for Cabinet clearance.” According to the minister’s establishment, 82 Ayush doctors have been appointed on contract as part of the National Health Mission and the National Ayush Mission; they are posted to district hospitals, community health centres, and primary health centres across the state. The Ayush Society in the department of Health & Family Welfare has organized several events in the state, a recent one being one at Mokokchung district, the updates stated. The mission has distributed medicines to all “co-located Ayush facilities on regular basis,” provided for free to patients at the respective health unit. ‘We are assured to continue until it reaches all levels. We have also conducted various activities as per the state annual action plan like public health outreach, Ayush Gram, school health programme, training programme for Ashas and ANM’S; cultivation of medicinal plants, etc.,’ the press release stated. ‘Our department along with the department of Youth Resources, NYK, Defence etc., has been jointly organizing International Day of Yoga (IDY) in a very decent manner (sic).’ The minister also said since the inception of the National Ayush Mission, ‘various activities and programmes’ have ‘taken place in a very short span of time.’ The statement mentioned ‘a few of the achievements’ after the introduction of the mission: a 10-bed integrated Ayush hospital at Dimapur; a 30-bed integrated Ayush hospital at Noklak in Tuensang district bordering with Myanmar. It was inaugurated last December and is “rendering services at remotest area of the state,” the press release quoted the minister’s speech. Phone expressed optimism that the construction of a 50-bed integrated Ayush hospital at Razha, at Chedema in Kohima district will be completed within a month or two. ‘I am optimistic that it will be inaugurated by the year end. Another 50-bed Ayush hospital at Sapangya (Chuntia) in Mokokchung district is under process.’ Phom said that the state government has submitted a detailed project report for a 50-bed integrated Ayush Hospital for Longleng and Zunheboto districts, to the central ministry. ‘I seek your benevolent respond and support (to the proposal),’ the updates stated. “I am happy to inform you that only my state has no pending utilization certificate as indicated in the agenda note-8 of the conference. We assure that we shall continuously strive to implement all the programmes as per the guidelines of the ministry even in near future,” the minister told the gathering. Another matter that the updates mentioned the minister highlighted at the event was that most of the states will be ‘facing difficulty while implementing various activities under National Ayush Mission like Nagaland.’ ‘It is (imperative) to mention that the state does not have a separate Ayush directorate, which is why the Ayush mission has to face numerous hurdles in implementing the programmes. Taking opportunity of this conference, I once again (appeal) to the ministry of Ayush to grant a separate Ayush directorate to Nagaland state out of the resource pool allotted to my state,’ the minister stated.