Union Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal today said that the North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy (NEIAH) has trained nearly one thousand experts in Ayurveda and Homoeopathy put together.
He said this has greatly bolstered the healthcare delivery system in the region, especially in Meghalaya, as the country moves closer to realise the vision of a “Swastha Bharat.”
“This new brigade of physicians, armed with evidence proved formulations of Ayush system of medicine, will help people to avail benefits. They are closer to our age old home remedies prevalent among local societies for thousands of years, but now with a wider array scientifically proven patient care solutions to treat as many diseases. Heal in India, healed by India is the objective of resurgent movement of Ayush,” he said at a function to inaugurate multiple projects at the institute.
Sonowal inaugurated a guest house and laid the foundation stone for the administrative and pharmacy building as well as the boundary wall with periphery road complete with external electrification including entry and exit gates on the occasion.
The newly inaugurated guest house has a total area of 1780.56 square meters to provide accommodation and conference facilities. The eco-friendly building is complete with all modern amenities.
The upcoming administrative building, with a floor area of 3160 square meter, will have one building with a floor basement, including a multi-purpose hall at an estimated cost of Rs 27.30 crore.
The pharmacy building will be built with an investment of Rs 15.33 crore for a G+3 building with 1833 square meter. The boundary wall with Periphery Road with external electrification including entry/exit Gate is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 12.72 crore.
Sonowal said the new capacity scale-up at NEIAH will bolster the resurgence of traditional medicine under and that the government remains committed to building the capacity of the institute so that it becomes a “cradle of the top human resource institution of Ayush in the country.”
He informed that the government has invested more than Rs 145 crore to scale up capacity at NEIAH. The total project outlay for capacity expansion at the institute is Rs 217.02 crore, he added.
The Union Minister also announced that Peripheral OPD services that will be started at Smit, which will potentially be accessed by 40,000 people living in 20 villages.
The minister also informed that NEIAH has started ‘Swarnabindu Prashan Sanskar’ (Ayurvedic Immunno Modulation in Children) at its Ayurveda Hospital. “With this programme, the government is helping patients with Ayurvedic solutions to treat Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) among tribal females between 18 and 45 years in Mawpat and Mylliem blocks under the Ayushwasthya Yojana.
NEIAH has been particularly helping patients with interventions like Panchakarma (detoxification and rejuvenation), Ksharasutra (thread therapy), Uttarabasti (tubal blockage) and Yoga to improve their quality of life, he said.
According to Sonowal, more and more students are trained in these techniques, including via a specialised Panchakarma technician programme. “We expect the Ayush system of medicine to become more popular, and widely available with deep healthcare benefits,” he said.
Union Minister of State for Ayush and Women & Child Development, Dr Munjapara Mahendra also virtually joined on the occasion. Secretary of Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Vice Chancellor of Northeast Hill University Prof PS Shukla, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, BK Singh along with NEIAH Director, Prof Neeta Maheskar also graced the occasion.
