MoU signed to augment Ayush services in Railway hospitals

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the two ministries to increase the Ayush infrastructure in railway hospitals. There are nearly 12 railways-run hospitals in Bengal among which most of the hospitals lack a full-fledged Ayush unit.

As a result of this, there are no proper treatment facilities of Ayush in these hospitals. The MoU aims at a better coordination between the two ministries so that patients can undergo treatment at any of the railway hospitals in the state if they wish to. This new initiative would be followed in other states as well.

The main purpose of the move was to ensure that Ayush, which is one of the oldest forms of medicine in the country, can be practised in larger scale in not only Bengal but also in India. A statement issued by the Press Information Bureau said that the move was taken for the wellness of the railway employees.

Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Railways, said: "The traditional knowledge of Ayush systems can be harnessed to help the vast majority of railway staff who are required to undergo stressful duties. The two ministries would go a long way in propagating the age-old benefits of one of the oldest forms of medicines.

Under the terms of the MoU, the Ministry of Railways will arrange for providing logistics and infrastructure in the form of land and building, equipment, furniture, Ayush medicines and consumables as well as manpower. While the Ministry of Ayush, in turn, will provide all other technical inputs required for introduction of Ayush system of medicines in the railway hospitals.

The ministry will also provide technical support regarding pharmacopoeia, medicine inventory and hospital planning. The ministries will formulate guidelines for contractual Ayush doctors and paramedical staff and will bear their expenses. Presently, Indian Railways is running 126 homoeopathic clinics and 40 Ayurvedic clinics through a staff-benefit fund under the Welfare Section of Establishment Directorate. It may be mentioned that both the Centre and state government had laid enormous emphasis on the development of Ayush infrastructure.

Dr Sumit Sur, state president of National Ayurveda Students and Youth Association, said: "This is a revolutionary step taken by the Centre to bring the Ayush form of medicine into the mainstream. E-Ayush must be introduced in all the railway hospitals across the country."