Sonowal calls for integrated Ayush depts. in leading NE state hospitals

DIMAPUR — Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal, has called upon all the states of North Eastern Region (NER) including Nagaland, to explore the possibility of setting up integrated Ayush medicine departments in all leading state hospitals.

The Union minister was speaking during the regional review meeting of NE states on Ayush held in Guwahati on Friday, a PIB release stated.

The meeting was attended by health ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim and Tripura, along with senior officials from Meghalaya, Nagaland as well as other states of the region.

During the meeting, all the participating states presented detailed presentations on the state of Ayush and progress of leading Ayush programmes under implementation.

Sonowal said that, along with the rest of the world, the importance and popularity of traditional system of medicine has risen significantly in the Himalayan region.

He called on all the states of NER India to explore the possibility of setting up integrated Ayush medicine department in all their leading state hospitals, in line with the setting up of similar departments in all 19 AIIMS, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Health Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Alo Libang, said that the state is planning to set up a full-fledged Directorate of Ayush Healthcare Services to promote traditional medicine in the Himalayan state.

Health Minister of Manipur, Dr. Sapam Ranjan Singh, also confirmed that a special Panchakarma centre in the middle of Loktak Lake was proposed to be set up, the released stated.

The Ministry of Ayush is supporting the efforts of state and UT governments for implementation of different activities as proposed by the states through their respective state annual action plans (SAAPs) through centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) of National Ayush Mission (NAM).

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