Sunday, December 14, 2014

INDIA TO INITIATE 18 NEW AYURVEDIC MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN NEXT YEAR


India.com
New Delhi, India
Sunday, 30 November, 2014

New Delhi: Eighteen new ayurveda colleges have received the Centre's nod this year, against permission for only one such institution in the last three years as government seeks to promote traditional forms of treatment and integrate them into the existing health care system.

Seven of these new colleges will come up in Uttar Pradesh followed by three in Maharashtra, two in Rajasthan besides six others in as many states, Ayush Ministry sources said.

The ministry is in charge of ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy.

The approval has come this year and has been given against proposals for setting up 39 new ayurveda institutions.

Permission was granted to only one college last year against proposals for 30 new colleges the previous government had received. No permission was given in 2011 and 2012.

There are currently 281 ayurveda colleges in the country offering 15,057 graduate and 3,081 post-graduate seats.

Pitching for integration of ayurveda, yoga and other traditional forms of treatment in the existing health care system, a committee set up by the BJP government to promote "holistic health" had recommended reforms in medical education, research and legal framework.

Noting that Ayush infrastructure is far from satisfactory besides the industry being poorly regulated, the government had notified National Ayush Mission (NAM) in September this year, laying down a detailed road map to shore it up.

NAM aims to improve Ayush education and provide better access to its service through increase in number of Ayush hospitals and dispensaries, besides offering quality drugs by increasing pharmacies, drug laboratories and "improved enforcement mechanism".

"On one hand many Ayush education centres are in poor shape and on the other, lack of quality control often makes people suspect the practitioners and quality of drugs they provide," sources said, adding that government was working to turn things around.

The Centre is also in talks with states to improve legislative framework to regulate Ayush practitioners and drugs.

AYUSH UNIVERSITY LIKELY TO OPEN WITHIN THE YEAR IN SHIMOGA, KARNATAKA


The Hindu (Raviprasad Kamila)
Monday, 17 November, 2014
Mangalore, India

Minister for Health and Family Welfare U.T. Khader said here on Sunday that the [Karnataka] State government will open an AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) university next year.

It is likely to come up in Shimoga but the venue might change, he told presspersons.

Mr. Khader said that it required at least 100 acres for the university and the government might get the land in Shimoga.

In addition to academic activities, the university would conduct research and development.

Mr. Khader said that the government has begun issuing bio-metric cards to AYUSH doctors in the State. It would help in identifying them and keeping away quacks.

He said that unless Ayurveda doctors stopped prescribing allopathy medicines, ayurveda would not grow. “Ayurveda doctors should practice Ayurveda only,” he said.

INDIA HIGHLIGHTS AYURVEDA IN SOUTH AFRICAN EVENT

PTI / Press Trust of India
Sunday, 23 November 2014
Johannesburg, South Africa

Highlighting the potential of Ayurveda, India has showcased its culture, business and cuisine techniques to South African business leaders in Johannesburg, with an aim to increase bilateral trade.

"The new government in India is giving Ayurveda a big boost. We have a new ministry and a new Minister looking after it. To add to Ayurveda, yoga is also something that goes along with it, and soon there will be an International Day of Yoga for which India has piloted a resolution in the UN General Assembly," Indian Consul-General Randhir Jaiswal said.

Speaking at India Week event concluded last week, he said that with the collaboration of Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), University of Pretoria, and the India Business Forum, comprising Indian businesses represented in South Africa, they put together a package of culture, business and cuisine to propel a bigger India-South Africa connect.

"Areas in which South Africa has global competency and a distinct advantage over India include food processing, construction, logistics, mining, tourism and technology solutions. These are areas where we think that South Africa can do wonders with us in our Make in India programme," said Jaiswal.

"At the same time, the 150 Indian companies which are present in South Africa have proven technology and competencies in areas such as information technology, pharmaceuticals and automobiles," he said.

During a session on how India had seen exponential growth in the pharmaceutical sector, special emphasis was placed on the potential for Ayurveda. "Africa is a very fertile ground for traditional medicine because of its ancient cultural traditions. Given the size of the presence of the Indian diaspora here, I see Ayurveda as one area in which we can leverage the strength and also to promote small and medium industry in South Africa," he said.

Abdullah Varachia of GIBS said the event has helped clear up a lot of misconceptions about Ayurveda. "Our Ministry of Health is trying to move in the direction of placing greater emphasis on African Traditional Medicine.

Ayurveda is a great case study of how traditional medicine can have a significant impact on primary health care," he said. Varachia said the event was organised to present India as a dynamic emerging market economy, especially with the massive changes in the last six months, to business leaders in South Africa, but also to share with them the culture, tradition and legacy of India.

"In the last few years, we have only spoken about business, but this time we have also tried to show South Africans the culture and food from different parts of India," Varachia added. Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba engaged the India Business Forum to explain how the South African government was keen to secure even more investment from India.

Professor Dilip Menon from the Centre of Indian Studies at Wits University delivered an innovative presentation, highlighting how Indian cinema has since its inception reflected the changing social and political environment throughout India's history.

The total bilateral trade hit USD 15.7 billion in 2012 with South African exports reaching USD 10.9 billion, whilst Indian imports reached USD 5.7 billion. South Africa has advanced agriculture and food processing sectors due to the use of sustainable technologies, especially in supply, cold chain management and infrastructure development.