Kozhikode
Ayurvedic medicine manufacturers have urged the State government to set up an All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in Kerala and create a separate department for Ayush.
In a memorandum to the Chief Minister, Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers Organisation of India (AMMOI) pointed out that the Central government was planning to set up AIIAs in all States. Work on such institutes was on in Goa and New Delhi after the respective State governments submitted project proposals. Kerala will also get around ₹100 crore as funds from the Union government if new facilities are introduced at the upcoming Government Ayurveda College in Idukki to upgrade it as an AIIA and a new project report is given. Otherwise, the upcoming International Ayurveda Research Centre at Kannur can be rebranded as AIIA.
AMMOI functionaries said the State had a rich history in offering Ayurvedic treatment. There are at least 650 manufacturers here with Good Manufacturing Practitioner certificate. There are 20,000 registered medical practitioners and 815 dispensaries. Also, the government runs three Ayurveda medical colleges, and 15 such institutions are operating in the private sector. Kerala is one of the States where a large amount of money is spent on Ayurvedic treatment, they said.
D. Ramanathan, general secretary, AMMOI, said a separate department for Ayush too was necessary. Right now, Indian systems of medicine are under the Health department. Because of the enormous amount of work taken up by the department, officials are not being able to concentrate on sections such as Ayurveda. “The Ayurveda industry has immense growth potential in Kerala. If medicines are manufactured in a scientific way and marketed, the State will stand to gain export revenue,” Dr. Ramanathan claimed. To coordinate the work, a separate department and a Minister will be required, he added.
