Vijayawada: Health minister Satya Kumar Yadav has said the alliance government has accorded special focus on strengthening AYUSH medical services as also Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani and Naturopathy.“The state is all set to witness a new chapter in naturopathy and traditional medicines with the establishment of the first Nature Cure (Naturopathy) Medical College in Visakhapatnam. Admissions for the Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences (BNYS) course would commence from the next academic year with an intake of 50 students, subject to central approval,” he said. Yadav said, “As part of our commitment to take the traditional Indian medicine system closer to the public, we have accelerated the pending projects. The Nature Cure Medical College at Visakhapatnam, integrated AYUSH hospitals at Visakhapatnam and Kakinada, and an Ayurveda medicines testing laboratory are all in advanced stages of completion.” The Union government, he said, had originally sanctioned a Nature Cure College along with integrated AYUSH hospitals in Vizag and Kakinada in 2016–17. However, the projects stalled for several years. “Following our interventions, the Centre recently released funds of Rs.7.17 crore for the Kakinada hospital, Rs.4.18 crore for Vizag’s integrated hospital, and Rs.4.08 crore for the Nature Cure College. Construction of the Vizag college, getting set on the VIMS campus at a cost of Rs.16.40 crore, is nearing completion. Side by side, a 50-bed integrated AYUSH hospital costing Rs.14.85 crore is also coming up on the same premises, where patients would soon have access to Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, and Unani treatments, he said. Saying that more initiatives are in the pipeline, the minister said a 50-bed Nature Cure Hospital is also planned for Visakhapatnam, with proposals worth Rs.16 crore submitted to the Centre. An Ayurveda Pharmacy and Quality Testing Laboratory, coming up in Shonthyam area, is almost complete at a cost of Rs.6 crore and equipment worth another Rs.5 crore would be procured shortly. He said, in Kakinada, a 50-bed integrated AYUSH hospital, erected in the premises of the Government Polytechnic College, is ready and expected to open services to the public within three months. On proposals for new colleges at Dharmavaram and Kakinada, Yadav said the government has submitted proposals to the Union AYUSH Ministry for establishing new Ayurveda medical colleges in Dharmavaram (Sri Sathya Sai district) and Kakinada under the National AYUSH Mission. The plan includes setting up a 50-bed Ayurveda hospital in Dharmavaram as an attached facility. “After three years of delay, central funds have started flowing in due to our persistent efforts. We are committed to making AYUSH healthcare more accessible to the people of Andhra Pradesh,” the minister added.
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