As part of measures to gear up for the possible third wave of the COVID pandemic, the State government, through the Department of AYUSH, plans to launch Project Amruth.
“Under this, we plan to distribute free homoeo medicine to every household as part of preparedness to battle the virus,” said V. Ramulu, Commissioner of the Department of AYUSH.
Speaking to The Hindu , Col. Ramulu said the medicine Arsenicum Album 30C (Aa30C), a homoeopathic drug that the Ministry of AYUSH has prescribed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, would be distributed across the State.
The government had in-principle approved the distribution drive, which would tentatively start from June 25 with the help of the village and ward volunteers’ network.
“Vibhu Foundation, an NGO, has offered to sponsor the distribution of medicine worth ₹6 crore in three districts, and the entire project would be implemented with the CSR funds donated by various organisations,” Col. Ramulu said.
Leaving nothing to chance in COVID preparedness, the government approved use of medicines like AYUSH 64 and Shamshamani Vati, which would be procured, popularised and made available to the public through the 700 dispensaries the Department runs across the State.
AYUSH 64 is a poly herbal formulation that had been found useful in the treatment of asymptomatic, mild and moderate COVID-19 infection. It is recommended in the National Clinical Management Protocol based on Ayurveda and Yoga, which is vetted by the National Task Force on COVID Management of ICMR and Guidelines for Ayurveda Practitioners for COVID-19 Patients in Home Isolation.
Similarly, Shamshamani Vati is an ayurvedic herbal medicine and it has multifarious health benefits. It corrects the digestive problem and is helpful and effective in managing fever of unknown and different origins.
1 lakh tablets
Col. Ramulu said students of the four AYUSH colleges had manufactured 1 lakh tablets at the ayurvedic lab in Vijayawada. “These medicines are not expensive but very effective,” he said.
To celebrate International Yoga Day on June 21, the department would organise a virtual yoga session for schoolchildren. This would be preceded by a ‘Yoga Run’ on June 20 from the Police Control Room to Benz Circle in the city at 6 a.m.
The department also planned to start five de-addiction centres in the State on July 1 observed as National Doctors’ Day.