All India Institute of Ayurveda in Delhi to become functional by 2016: minister

The ministry of indigenous systems of medicine, AYUSH, is setting up an All India Institute of Ayurveda in Delhi, which is conceived as an apex Institute of Ayurveda on the lines of the AIIMS, minister of state (independent charge) of the ministry AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik, said today.

Naik has said the government is taking the AYUSH system of medicines to the grassroot through the network of primary health centers (PHCs) under the National AYUSH Mission (NAM).

Interacting with journalists at the Women's Press Club in New Delhi, Naik said that it is the government plans to set up an AYUSH hospital in every district across the country. The ministry has taken the necessary steps in this direction and proposals are being received from the states, the minister said.

Highlighting the importance of research in the field of AYUSH, Naik said the status of the AYUSH formulations should be clinically clear to promote them as medicines which will also help to increase their popularity outside India.

He said there has to be an integrated approach to Allopathy and AYUSH systems of medicine. It is for this reason that the AYUSH facility will be provided in each of the upcoming AIIMS hospitals in different states. This integrated approach has already been adopted by some of the big private hospitals in various states, he said.

The minister said there are one lakh doctors of AYUSH in the country whose services can be used to supplement the existing facilities in the primary health centres where there is a shortage of doctors. Naik said he has written to the prime minister in this regard.

The minister said the government is keen to popularize Yoga throughout the country and under the scheme of NAM, provision has been made for giving funds for setting up of Yoga Wellness centers and Naturopathy centers, the minister added.