Aiming to promote the traditional Indian medicinal assets, the Himachal Pradesh Government claiming of taking positive steps to exploit the enormous herbal wealth of the state.
To add new dimension to the Indian system of medicine, the State government strengthening the Ayurveda infrastructure in the State. The department of Ayurveda has one drug testing laboratory at Jogindernagar in Mandi district along with three departmental Ayurvedic Pharmacies at Majra in Sirmour, Jogindernagar in Mandi and Paprola in Kangra district. As of today, 31 Ayurvedic Hospitals, 1,113 Ayurvedic Health Centers, 14 HHC, 3 UHC, 4 Amchi Health Centers are working in the State.
The Department of Ayurveda has launched a programme for the promotion and conservation of the herbal wealth by setting up herbal gardens in the different Agro-climatic zones. Presently, four Herbal Gardens have been established in the different agro climatic zones in the State which includes Herbal Garden at Jogindernagar, Neri (Hamirpur), Dhumrera (Rohru) in Shimla district and Jungal Thalera in Bilaspur district.
A sum of Rs 218 crore is being spent on Ayurveda during this financial year. In the year 2014 about 52 lakhs people were treated effectively and upto September 2015 nearly 22, 64,251 patients were treated by the Ayurveda department.
The department of Ayurveda is providing the specialise services through 17 Panchkarma and 9 Kasharsutra units which are established in different hospitals. Specialities of Ayurveda like Panchkarma, Ksharsutra, and therapeutic Yoga etc. are being provided in some Ayurvedic Hospitals working under the department. Trained Para-medical staff has been deployed in various Ayurvedic hospitals. Besides this department has also been organising free Medical Check up/treatment camps in the different parts of the State and health awareness campaigns has also been started in the State.
To ensure enough trained Ayurveda practitioners, the State Government has increased admission strength of Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from 50 to 60 at Rajiv Gandhi Government Post-Graduate, Ayurvedic College, Paprola. Besides, the PG seats in Kayachikitsa, Shalakya Tantra, Shalya Tantra, Prasuti Tantra, Samhita and Sidhant, Dravya Guna, Rog Nidan, Swasth Vritta, Panchkarm Balrogand Ras Shastra are also available. The State government has started the B- Pharmacy course at Jogindernagar with intake capacity of 30 students.
The department of Ayurveda is also associated with National Health Programmes like Janani Sishu Yojna, Family welfare, Anaemia free campaign, AIDS, immunization and pulse polio to cater the health need of maximum people in the State.
The State Government is also enduring to strengthen the Health Services in tribal and remote areas through multi speciality camps. Amchi Health Centers have been established through which the people residing in remote and rural areas of the State are served largely by the Indian System of Medicine (ISM) and Institutions receptive to the indigenous system of medicine particularly for treatment of seasonal and chronic diseases.
