The Union Ministry of Ayush has sanctioned an Ayush Sports Medicine Centre, the first of its kind in the government sector in Karnataka, to Mangaluru.
Dakshina Kannada District AYUSH Officer Mohammed Iqbal said the proposal for setting up the centre was submitted to the Ministry two years ago. The Ministry has now agreed to set up the centre under the National Ayush Mission, he said.
The proposed new centre in Mangaluru will be the second Government Ayush Sports Centre to come up in the country. One is already functioning in Thrissur in Kerala, Dr. Iqbal said.
The main motto of the new centre, Dr. Iqbal said, is to ensure fitness and provide treatment to sportspersons, using therapies available in the Indian systems of medicine namely Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Sidda, Naturopathy, and Homoeopathy.
“The Union Government is giving us support to make use of Ayush therapies to sportspersons, which has largely remained unexplored,” he said.
Apart from ways to maintain fitness, the new centre will help sportspersons in preparing diet plans, lifestyle management, injury prevention, boosting immunity, stress management, and body relaxation. The centre will provide natural ways of strengthening body parts for sports, namely volleyball, kabaddi, swimming, and athletics.
To start with, Dr. Iqbal said, the Ayush Department will start with attending to the needs of the sportspersons being trained at the Mangala Stadium in Mangaluru. The department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Department of Youth Services and Sports in this regard.
Dr. Iqbal said the department is looking for a spacious location near Mangala Stadium for the new centre. “Mangaluru City South MLA D.Vedavyas Kamath has assured of allotting space for this centre,” he said.
The State Government has sanctioned 26 posts for the new centre, which includes seven doctors, therapists, and nursing staff. “We hope to start functioning of the centre in a month,” Dr. Iqbal said.
