Kukil Sakiya ( Guwahati): 10 Oct. 2024
The Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), a pioneering research institute with a NABH hospital on Ayurveda & NABL lab from the Northeast India under the Ministry of Ayush, organised a press conference today to highlight the achievements in the Ayush sector in the first 100 days of new union government here today. The press conference was addressed by Dr Sashi Sonowal, Joint Director, Directorate of Ayush, Govt of Assam; Dr Pranabjyoti Baishya, Principal, Govt Ayurvedic College, Guwahati along with Dr Dinesh Baruah, Director, CARI and Dr PL Bharti of Clinical Department here today.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Dinesh Baruah, Director, Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), said, “The Ministry of Ayush has been focussing on overall improvement in quality patient care with multiple programmes as well as campaigns. In the first 100 days of the new government under the leadership of Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi sir, the ministry organised more than 14,000 health camps catering to geriatric patient care. With continuous support from the Honourable Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush, Pratap Rao Jadhav, our ministry continues to reinforce its commitment to enhance quality of life through Ayurveda, contributing towards enriching the Ayush eco-system. At our CARI centre in Guwahati, we have also been focussing on improving and upgrading the quality patient care with newer facilities like Northeast’s First dedicated Panchakarma block, inaugurated earlier this year by the then Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. It has witnessed tremendous response from people as more than 4,500 patients received therapeutic treatment in the first 100 days at Panchakarma Block. The centre also boasts of the region’s first Pharmacology & Chemistry Laboratory which was also dedicated to the nation earlier this year. Both the centres were completed in record time of two years since foundation stones were laid in February 2022 by Sarbananda Sonowal.”
“Apart from this, our programmes like Anaemia control among adolescent girls in Mission Utkarsh via Ayurvedic methods, study on ‘Marsa Nasya Karma’ and Multi Centre Feasibility in Cervical Soondylosis, Ayurvedic Mobile Healthcare programme, Tribal Healthcare Research Programme, Women & Child Health care programme are going on. All these outreach programmes as well as IEC campaigns has helped Ayush sector regain its foothold and win the trust as a reliable source to avail treatment for better quality of life. With the number of patients being treated at CARI has been growing, it reflects a new found confidence among people about the efficacy and utility of Ayush system of medicine,” added Dr Baruah.
The CARI has established healthcare centres in various districts including PHC Barighat, Amranga in Kamrup; Nakhla Model Hospital in Jagiroad, Morigaon; Dhula MPHC in Darrang; Nasatra PHC in Barpeta; Kanaklata Civil Hospital in Sonitpur and Bikali Model Hospital in Dhupdhara, Goalpara and a first referral centre in Lumding in Hojai district. There were a total of 30,253 beneficiaries in the last year 2023-24. This year the number of free health camps beneficiaries was 7,079 and the total number of camps was 63. In last 100 days total beneficiaries in OPD of AHC and Health Camp is 2910 and total 19 health camps are organised by all seven centres. All these camps are organised by the AHCs of the surrounding areas which provide medicinal health facilities to a large number of people.
Speaking further, Dr Baruah said, “CARI is also conducting Medico Ethnobotanical Survey programme in the entire Northeast India. A first of its kind survey, this will critically appraise and validate Local Health Traditions (LHTs), Oral Health Traditions (OHTs) and Ethno Medicinal Practices (EMPS) among the ethnic communities of the region. Our team has so far interviewed more than 400 folk medicine healers and claims have accordingly documented. Another Study on Wild Edible Plants has been sanctioned with 12 districts of Assam; I.e. Kamrup (M), Kamrup, Bongaigaon, Nalbari, Barpeta, Goalpara, Dhubri, South Salmara, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri & Bajali to be covered in the first phase this year. CARI also has a modern pathological laboratory which has been offering wide range of pathological and biochemical tests at nominal rates. This lab has received NABL Accreditation, making it one of the few labs with top accreditation in the region. We conducted close to 50,000 tests last year. In last 100 days, our team at the Lab has conducted more than 19,325 tests as it set to outrun it’s last year’s performance.”
The dedicated Panchakarma Block at CARI has been providing best Panchakarma therapies to people at reasonable rates. The researchers are also examining the role of Panchakarma in healing patients as well as enriching the quality of lives of the people. A Panchakarma Training Course is also undergoing here to train panchakarma technicians, ensuring quality resources for the Ayush market. The building equipped with dedicated rooms to perform key Panchakarma therapies like Snehana and Swedana room, Shirodhara room, Basti room. A medicine lab to prepare medicines used in the Panchakarma like Kwath preparation and making of Basti Dravya has also been created. Space has also been made for dedicated classrooms to train Panchakarma technicians under the Panchakarma Technician Course. Various machines like New Panchakarma Droni, Bashpa Swedana Yantra (steam chamber), Nadi Swedana Yantra, Sarvangadhara Yantra, Shirodhara Yantra, Basti Yantra, Nasya applicator, Avagaha tub, Sauna chamber and other key instruments are also being installed for effective Panchakarma treatment.
A first of its kind ‘Pharmacology and Chemistry Laboratories’ in Ayush sector in the North East is equipped with facilities for drug standardisation, safety and efficacy evaluation of Ayurvedic formulations. The labs will scientifically validate therapeutic and safety potential of classical Ayurvedic formulation, ethno-medicinal plants and plant-based formulations. It will further work to develop cost-effective novel poly herbal formulations from Ayurvedic plants, especially found in the North East region. A modern Animal House to probe pre-clinical studies for safety and efficacy of Ayurvedic formulations, a state-of-the-art Pharmacology lab with sophisticated equipments like Rotary Evaporator & Soxhlet extractor, Automatic Haemology analyzer, Biochemistry analyzer, Coagulation analyzer, Analgesiometer, UV-VIS Spectrophotometer, Laboratory deep Freezer, Plethysmometer, among others. The Chemistry lab to work on drug standardisation of Ayurvedic formulations and to ensure quality of the drugs. Modern instruments like High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC), High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) among others. Two research projects, in collaboration with College of Veterinary Science, Guwahati, are being conducted on ‘Acute and Ninety days repeated dose (sub-chronic) oral toxicity studies of coded formulation Ayush-PTK and ‘Evaluation of Neuroprotective and Antioxidant Effects of Vasantakusumakara rasa in a rat Model of Type II diabetes neuropathy.
Key Achievements of Ministry of Ayush in 100 Days:
1. Donor Agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO)
A donor agreement was signed by the Ministry of Ayush and WHO on July 31, 2024, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. This agreement demonstrates India’s dedication to working with international health organizations and improving the integration of Ayush systems into the global healthcare system. The collaboration seeks to provide evidence-based traditional medicine with a stronger foundation.
2. MoU with Vietnam on Medicinal Plants
India and Vietnam inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) centered on cooperation in medicinal plants on August 1, 2024. This agreement signed in the august presence of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and his Vietnamese counterpart, is a major step toward advancing traditional medicine practices worldwide. To encourage the sharing of information, resources, and research in this area, Vietnam’s Traditional Medicine Administration and India’s National Medicinal Plants Board will collaborate closely.
3 Landmark MoU with Malaysia on Ayurveda
India and Malaysia have taken a significant step in advancing traditional medicine by signing an agreement on Ayurveda. This partnership will promote research, knowledge exchange, and the creation of Ayurvedic treatment regimens. An Ayurveda Chair has been operationalized at the Universiti Tunku A bdul Rahman(UTAR) as an outcome of the MoU between INSTITUTE OF TEACHING & RESEARCH IN AYURVEDA and Universiti Tunku abdul Rahman(UTAR).
4. Promoting the “One Herb, One Standard” Initiative
On August 6, 2024, the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) and the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding to carry out the “One Herb, One Standard” initiative with a larger objective to improve quality of medicines in the sector. By standardizing herbal medications, this initiative seeks to increase the efficacy and security of pharmaceuticals throughout India. Aligning with global health standards and bolstering confidence in traditional medicines are crucial goals of this move.
5. Special Medical Stores for Ayush Medicines
To guarantee easy access to Ayush medications, Shri Prataprao Jadhav announced on August 26, 2024, that the government intended to open special medical stores at every tehsil level. Access to a variety of herbal and traditional medicines will be made possible by these stores, improving public healthcare in both urban and rural areas.
6. NABH evaluation of 1489 Ayushman Arogya Mandir (Ayush) completed
According to the report received from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), the evaluation of 1489 Ayushman Arogya Mandir (Ayush) has been completed, and 1005 of these AAM (Ayush) have been certified for Ayush Entry Level Certification (AELC). This initiative is an important step in ensuring quality healthcare services under the National Ayush Mission.
Major Campaigns and Initiatives:
7. “Har Ghar AyurYog” Campaign for a Healthier India
The “Har Ghar AyurYog” initiative was started by the Ministry with the goal of increasing the uptake of Ayurveda and Yoga in communities. Including yoga in the Fit India School certification is one of the highlights. “Bharat Ka Prakriti Parikshan” abhiyan to be at the core of the initiative and the broad roadmap to involve stakeholders across the country has been prepared.
8. Ayush Camps for Geriatric Population
Ministry of Ayush committed to organise 10,000 camps for elderly citizens within the time frame of 100 days. Beating the target, 14,692 Ayush camps were organised around the country in a massive outreach effort to meet the healthcare needs of the elderly. Free consultations, therapies, and guidance on holistic health using Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and homoeopathy were offered at these camps.
9. Centers of Excellence in Ayush
In partnership with esteemed establishments like IISc Bangalore, IIT Delhi, TMC Mumbai, and JNU New Delhi, six new Centers of Excellence were founded. These centers, which have been granted ₹52.47 crore in funding, will concentrate on cutting-edge traditional medicine research, teaching, and healthcare innovation.
10. Inclusion of Ayush Packages in AB-PMJAY
The Ministry convened a review meeting to incorporate Ayurvedic packages under the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to incorporate Ayush treatment into mainstream healthcare. To finalize cost structures and guarantee the affordability of Ayush treatments under the program, a Strategic Purchasing Committee has been established.