AYUSH ministry reviews interventions towards prevention,management of Covid-19

The Secretary highlighted the important steps taken by the ministry of AYUSH in the context of Covid-19, however, he cautioned that the protocol should not lead to a false sense of security

Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) Ministry Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha chaired a high-level meeting to review the various interventions made by the Ministry in the recent months to contribute to the preventive steps and management of Covid-19.

During the meeting, the states and UTs shared their experiences and activities they have conducted in the context of Covid-19 (Dheeraj Dhawan/Hindustan Times)

Principal secretaries and secretaries of AYUSH and health departments of different states and UTs took part in the meeting held through video conferencing.

An official release said on Tuesday that Kotecha appraised the states about the recently released National Ayurveda and Yoga Protocol for Management of Covid-19, the need to expedite the operationalising of AYUSH Health Wellness Centres approved under National AYUSH Mission (NAM) and the urgent need to improve the expenditure and fund flow under NAM.

The AYUSH Grid project of the Ministry, which aims to establish a unified IT backbone for the sector, was discussed in detail.

Information about the completion of a cloud-based AYUSH Health Management Information System (A-HMIS)which can be put to use by all AYUSH establishments was welcomed by all.

The Secretary highlighted the important steps taken by the Ministry of AYUSH in the context of Covid-19, however, he cautioned that the protocol should not lead to a false sense of security.

He sought active co-operation and participation of the states in the implementation of the protocol to manage Covid-19 pandemic effectively and explained that the release of such a protocol was a landmark in the mainstreaming of AYUSH systems.

During the meeting, the states and UTs shared their experiences and activities they have conducted in the context of Covid-19.

“The joint efforts and sharing of experiences, it was agreed by all, will lead to the potential of AYUSH Ministry’s systems being tapped on a nation-wide scale for fighting the pandemic,” the release said.