Azad announces establishment of Unani Medical College in JK

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*Omar, Azad inaugurate 4-day Mega exhibition at Kashmir Haat

*AYUSH, Handicrafts, Information, ISM, FICCI jointly organize magnificent expo

* Thousands of personalities from Commerce, Industries, Medical, Unani fields attended the exhibition

*There are 7 lakh AYUSH practitioners, 3000 hospitals, 21000 dispensaries and 450 undergraduate and postgraduate colleges all over the country including 4000 practitioners in Jammu and Kashmir and the Centre incurs about Rs. 340 crore annually to run these.

*These initiatives will help to produce 18000 specialist doctors instead of existing 13000 specialists annually.

*Government has decided to grace 10 percent marks in pursuing MD and MS degrees to those medicos who would serve at least for one year in far-flung and inaccessible areas of the State.

*The grace marks would be 20 percent and 30 percent for serving for two or three years respectively in remote areas.

Declaring New Year as the year of popularizing Unani medicines all over the country, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad today announced to set up a state-of-art Unani Medical CollegeKashmir. He said there is an urgent need to focus on promotion of traditional modes of treatment like Ayurveda, Unani, Sidha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) as 60 percent population in India use Ayurvedic medicines adding that the demand for these medicines is increasing even at international level where 40 percent people use these medicines for treatment of various ailments. He said health conscious people prefer alternate medicines free from side effects. in

The Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad immediately after inauguration visited all stalls of FICCI, ISM, AYUSH, Handicrafts and Information Departments. They appreciated the rare projections of various departments made in their respective stalls. AYUSH and ISM had also exhibited various Unani and Aromatic plants, which have great potential of growth in the valley of Kashmir. The Handicrafts Department also projected rare handicraft items through their various stalls. The distinguished artists of cultural wing of Information Department presented sacred kalam of Sheikh-ul-Alam (RA) in the central pavilion where exhibition wing of the department had projected rare and historical photographs of the J&K state.

The Chief Minister and the Union Minister appreciated the AYUSH, Handicraft, Information, ISM and FICCI for organizing such a magnificent exhibition, where thousands of people have started taking interest from the time of inauguration which indicates that 4-days, exhibition will be the most successful exhibition of the state.

Speaking at a function after inaugurating 4-day first of its kind national exhibition-cum-sale of herbal medicines “Arogya” at Srinagar, along with Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand, Azad said keeping in view the great demand and acceptability of herbal medicines, the Centre has launched a National Mission for medicinal plants, adding that a whooping sum of Rs. 630 crore is being spent for this purpose during the 11th Five Year Plan. The Mission envisages promotion of cultivation of medicinal plants for pharmaceutical industry on a very intensive scale with appropriate pre and post harvest- management interventions, besides ensuring remunerative prices to the growers. He advised the people especially of Kandi belts to opt for cultivation of medicinal plants.

The exhibition “Arogya” third in the row in the country has jointly been organized by the Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, FICCI and the Department of Indian System of Medicines, Jammu and Kashmir.

Azad while deliberating on blue print to promote alternate medical treatment and provide these facilities to the people at their doorstep has decided to provide AYUSH doctors at village, block, tehsil and district levels alongwith the allopathic health institutions all over the State. He said at present there are 7 lakh AYUSH practitioners, 3000 hospitals, 21000 dispensaries and 450 undergraduate and postgraduate colleges all over the country including 4000 practitioners in Jammu and Kashmir and the Centre incurs about Rs. 340 crore annually to run these. He said Centre as a short term measure to cope up with the shortage of staff in health institutions, has launched an ambitious countrywide flagship programme. “National Rural and Urban Health Mission” (NHRUM) adding that about 60000 doctors have been engaged on contractual basis under the programme all over the country so far and the process would continue.

He said that as a medium term measure to make up for shortage of specialist doctors in the health institutions, his Ministry during last three months has launched a multi-pronged strategy by bringing some required amendments and regulations in the present laws. These initiatives will help to produce 18000 specialist doctors instead of existing 13000 specialists annually adding that opening of private medical colleges in North-East and mountainous regions of India, where there are only 20 percent medical colleges as against 80 percent private medical colleges in other parts of the country, through Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) would be encouraged in a big was to produce more doctors to meet their requirement in health institutions. He said procedures for opening private medical colleges have been simplified for the purpose. For this purpose, laws have been amended by virtue of which now only 20 acres of land that too in parts within the radius of 10 kms, if needed, would be required against earlier 25 acres of land. He said in a historic decision, the government has decided grace 10 percent marks in pursuing MD and MS degrees to those medicos who would serve at least for one year in far-flung and inaccessible areas of the State. The grace marks would be 20 percent and 30 percent for serving for two or three years respectively in remote areas.

Azad lauded the ISM doctors for serving the people with dedication, commitment and courage in far-flung and inaccessible areas particularly during the period of natural calamity, be it in earthquake-hit Gurez or elsewhere. He announced that his Ministry would present Gold Medals to such dedicated ISM doctors.

Apart from a galaxy of research scholars, medicos and senior officers of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Minister for Medical Education, R.S Chib, Minister for Health, Sham Lal Sharma, Minister for R&B, G.M Saroori, Minister of State for Fisheries, Hajj and Auqaf, Ajaz Ahmad Khan, Minister of State for Power, Shabir Ahmad Khan, Member Parliament, Sharief-ud-Din Shariq, legislators, President, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI), Rajan Kohli, Joint Secretary, Department of AYUSH, Government of India, B. Anand, Financial Commissioner, Home, Sameul Vergees, Principal Secretary Agriculture, Sonali Kumar, Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Atul Dulloo, Secretary Revenue, Ajaz Iqbal, Director, SKIMS, Dr. Abdul Hamid Zargar, Director Information, Khawja Farooq Ahmad Renzu, Director Handicrafts, Showkat Ahmad Zargar, Director Indian System of Medicines, Dr. Kabir and Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo were also present.