Bengal Govt to set up AYUSH hospital in Paschim Medinipur

Kolkata: A 50-bedded integrated hospital dedicated to AYUSH (Ayurveda, yoga, Unani, Siddha and homoeopathy) medications is going to be set up by the West Bengal Government in Paschim Medinipur district.

Ever since coming to power, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been laying emphasis on the building of infrastructure in AYUSH treatment methods. A separate department has been formed, headed by a minister, to accelerate various AYUSH projects.

The Chief Minister had inaugurated a similar facility in Alipurduar a few months ago.

The State Government's stress on AYUSH stems from two facts: They comprise some of the oldest and traditional forms of treatment across Bengal and AYUSH treatments are cost-effective, hence advantageous to the economically challenged. As a result, the AYUSH system of medication has a significant role in delivering healthcare to the masses.

The government plans to make the hospital, to come up on a few acres, one of the finest AYUSH hospitals in the country. Doctors from both the state and outside the state will be invited to serve patients.

In another major development, the State Government has decided to open separate units of AYUSH in the subsidiary healthcare units in all the districts of the state.

AYUSH units have already been set up in the districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Birbhum, Paschim Medinipur, Nadia, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.

According to a senior official of the AYUSH Department, adequate number of medical officers will be recruited in all the subsidiary health centres and adequate medicines will be made available in all the units so that poor patients can avail them free of cost.

Banerjee has brought a sea change in the overall health infrastructure of Bengal through various new initiatives and revamping some of the old ones, according to a party statement here.