AYUSH Department to be set up in Kerala

The Health Minister V S Sivakumar promised that the state government will set up a separate AYUSH Department (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) .He said this while inaugurating the golden jubilee building of the Women and Children Hospital of the Ayurveda College at Poojappura on 22nd  October 2013. 

AYUSH has been envisaged as part of a Central policy. There were also reports that absence of an independent AYUSH Department was costing the state Central funds. The new building, built at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore, has all modern facilities such as labour room, operation theatre, post-operative ward, pay ward, general wards and out-patient department.

Kerala was the first state in the country to implement the Arogyakiran programme, that provides free treatment to children below 18 years of age. He said that Kerala was better placed than many other states in the country and was also at par with the developed nations with respect to health service. On the other programmes of the government, he said that the Mother and Child (Ammayum Kunjum) programme was a commitment given to every mother and her newborn child that their total well-being would be ensured. 

Sivakumar also said that a new casualty block at the Ayurveda College is being set up with the MP’s fund provided by Shashi Tharoor. The renovation of the building of the Panchakarma Hospital is going on at a fast pace. A sewage plant will be constructed here at a cost of Rs 90 lakh, he said. 

Source:http://newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/Separate-AYUSH-department-promised/2013/10/22/article1848603.ece