PM Modi urges India Inc to invest more in ayurveda

NEW DELHI: Pitching for affordable and accessible healthcare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the time has come for a "health revolution" through ayurveda and the corporate sector must invest to strengthen the traditional stream of medicine by means of more research.

"We have seen the IT revolution in last 30 years. Now, the time has come for a health revolution under ayurveda. Let's pledge to strengthen, revive ayurveda," Modi said, addressing a gathering after inaugurating the country's first All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), an apex institute under the AYUSH ministry, built on a campus area of over 10 acres with a budget of Rs 157 crore.

Emphasising the importance of ayurveda, Modi said the world is heading "back to nature and wellness" and urged private players to use part of their CSR funds to help strengthen the field.

He also asked experts from the field to find medicines which can, like allopathy, give immediate relief to people but without side-effects. The Prime Minister said that the government is working towards establishing an ayurveda hospital in every district of the country.

More than 65 AYUSH hospitals have already been developed in the last three years, he added.

AIIA, built on the lines of AIIMS, has an NABH-accredited hospital and an academic block. The hospital will provide outpatient services and free medicines.

Currently, it will offer clinical services in the area of neurological & degenerative diseases, rheumatology & musculoskeletal care, diabetes & metabolic disorders and yoga.

It will also house a panchakarma clinic, kriya kalpa, diabetic retinopathy clinic, kshara evum anushastra karma and an infertility clinic. Besides, the institute also has pathology, biochemistry, microbiology and radiology laboratories and diagnosis facilities. The indoor patient department has provision for 200 beds.

Marking 'Ayurveda Divas' on Tuesday, Modi described the medicine system as India's strength and urged those working in the sector to revive it.

He said there was a need to revise the ayurveda syllabus and underlined the requirement for standard guidelines and treatment in the medicine system so that it is not overpowered by allopathy.

He also said the ministries of AYUSH and agriculture can guide farmers to sow medicinal plants in their fields. This will also help farmers boost their income in line with the government's plan to double their income by 2022, when India attains 75 years of independence, he said.