Now, AYUSH Health services at Railway hospitals

Ministry of Railways and Ministry of AYUSH have decided to scale up AYUSH health services in B.R. Singh Hospital in Eastern Railway, Perambur Railway Hospital Southern Railway, Central Hospital of Northern Railway, JR Hospital in Western Railway and the Central Hospital of Northeast Frontier Railway.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Ministry of Railways and Ministry of AYUSH in New Delhi to augment the AYUSH system services in its zonal hospitals at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Guwahati. Principal Executive Director/Health Dr Gajendra Kumar, on behalf of the Ministry of Railways and Advisor Dr Manoj Nesari from Ministry of AYUSH, signed the MOU. Minister of State of Railways & Minister of State (I/C) of Communication, Shri Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (I/C) for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State of Railways, Shri Rajen Gohain, Chairman Railway Board, Shri Ashwani Lohani, other Railway Board Members & dignitaries from both the Ministries were present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion MoS Shri Manoj Sinha said that ensuring the wellness of Railway employees is of prime concern. The traditional knowledge of AYUSH systems can be harnessed to particularly help the vast majority of railway staff who are required to put in stressful field duties on site. MoS Sh Rajen Gohain said cooperation of Ministry of Railways and Ministry of AYUSH would go a long way in propagating the age-old benefits of traditional systems of medicine. Sh Gohain added that he is particularly aware of the good work and benefits being availed of the AYUSH services at the Guwahati Railway Hospital. Minister of State (I/C) for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik pointed out that AYUSH Systems of Medicine offer safe, effective and complete holistic treatment in many diseases. He said the proposed collaboration would play a pivotal role in offering healthcare needs to the people serving the railway sector.

Under the terms of the MoU signed, Ministry of Railways will arrange for providing logistics and infrastructure in the form of Land & building, Equipment, Furniture, AYUSH medicines and consumables as well as Manpower as per its guidelines. It will organize and provide orientation training to newly recruited AYUSH Doctors and AYUSH Paramedics. Ministry of AYUSH, in turn, will provide all other technical inputs required for introduction of AYUSH Systems in the five identified Railways Hospitals. The Ministry will also provide technical know-how regarding the pharmacopoeia, medicine inventory, hospital planning. Guidelines of manpower requirement and Recruitment Rules; Procedures of AYUSH Doctors, AYUSH Para medical required for introduction of AYUSH Systems in five Railway Hospitals including the guidelines for contractual AYUSH doctors and paramedical staff would be aided by MoAYUSH.

Presently Indian Railways is running 126 Homeopathic Clinics and 40 Ayurvedic Clinics through Staff Benefit Fund under Welfare Section of Establishment Directorate.