Union minister for Ayush, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday assured that he would make all efforts to upgrade the Dr Jiba Kanta Saikia Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Jorhat into a national institute.
Addressing the 47th foundation day celebration of the homeopathic college as chief guest, Sonowal said this in response to the memorandums submitted to him by the college authorities and the students union regarding national level status to the college.
The Union minister, however, said that any proposal regarding the health sector of the state would have to come through the Assam government, after which he would vigorously pursue to fulfil it.
Regarding another demand of introducing post graduate courses in the institute, Sonowal said that once the proposal reaches the Ayush Ministry then it will be examined and a team from National Commission of Homeopathy would have to carry out an inspection of the institute regarding various parameters like manpower, infrastructure, etc., before granting approval for PG course.
Sonowal, stating that he in his capacity would push for fulfilling the demands, said that regarding the matter of creating more posts in the college, the Ayush Ministry and the state would work together.
Detailing the various initiatives taken by the Ayush Ministry, he complimented Prime Minister Narendra Modi for upgrading the Ayush department into a full-fledged Ministry in 2014, thereby promoting the ancient traditional systems of medicines that have evolved over the centuries by the sages and traditional practitioners with modern practices.
Stating that traditional as well as the modern should simultaneously be made available to the masses, the minister said that due to proper budget allocation, the people availing the services of traditional systems of medicines had gone up manifold leading to a jump in the international market share of traditional medicine manufactured in India.
He said that 9500 industrial units were operating in this sector under Ayush.
The minister further said that an ambitious plan to make traditional systems of medicines available right from AIIMS level to PHCs and medical sub centres is in the pipeline under which 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres across the country would be set up.
Stating that 170 countries of the world practiced respective ancient traditional systems of medicines and India’s traditional medicinal systems getting attention due to its credibility and reliability, he cited the example of the daughter Rosemary of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, regaining her eyesight after undergoing Ayurvedic treatment at an eye care hospital in Kerala’s Ernakulam district in recent times.
He also cited another example of a US lady chartering a flight to India to get herself treated at Chennai.
The minister also spoke about the vast medical tourism potential under Ayush.
Jorhat Lok Sabha MP Topon Gogoi, Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Jorhat and Mariani MLAs, Hitendra Nath Goswami and Rupjyoti Kurmi, respectively, Central Council for Research in Homeopathy director general Dr Subhash Kaushik were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.
