Andhra Pradesh to set up 4 new AYUSH Medical Colleges with Rs 280 crore investment

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh has unveiled a major expansion of its AYUSH healthcare infrastructure with projects worth Rs 414 crore, including new medical colleges, integrated hospitals and upgraded dispensaries, as part of efforts to strengthen traditional systems of medicine.

Announcing the initiative during a state conference on 'Sustainable Cultivation of Medicinal Plants, Economic Growth, and Marketing Infrastructure' in Vijayawada, Health Minister Shri Satya Kumar Yadav said the government is working to establish Andhra Pradesh as a key AYUSH hub through large-scale investments in healthcare infrastructure and education. He said the state's healthcare strategy is shifting from a predominantly curative approach to one focused on predictive, preventive and wellness-based care, according to The New Indian Express.  

As part of the initiative, the government is establishing four new AYUSH medical colleges with an investment of Rs 280 crore, allocating Rs 70 crore for each institution. The plan includes Ayurveda medical colleges at Dharmavaram and Pithapuram, a Unani medical college at Proddatur, and a Naturopathy medical college in Visakhapatnam, where construction is nearing completion.

The state has also earmarked Rs 90 crore for integrated AYUSH hospitals in Tirupati, Giddalur, Nandigama, Tenali, Tekkali and Rampachodavaram. In addition, modernisation of more than 1,500 AYUSH dispensaries is nearing completion under a separate Rs 44 crore initiative aimed at improving healthcare delivery across the state. 

Yadav said the completed projects would soon be inaugurated by the Union AYUSH Minister in the presence of Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Shri Pawan Kalyan.

Highlighting broader healthcare developments, the Minister said government hospitals have recorded a 20% rise in outpatient attendance following ongoing reforms. He also referred to the performance of Guntur Government General Hospital, where 255 open-heart surgeries have been carried out, and noted the expansion of MBBS seats in the state.

Health Secretary Shri G. Veerapandian said medicinal plants are currently cultivated across 30,000 to 35,000 acres in Andhra Pradesh. He added that the government plans to expand cultivation to several lakh acres by coordinating with the Forest Department, strengthening market linkages and establishing advanced testing laboratories.