Demand to deploy AYUSH professionals for Covid-19 gathers pace

Amritsar: Dr JP Singh, a qualified ayurvedic doctor and a senior functionary of the Laghu Udyog Bharti, has demanded deployment of AYUSH professionals for Covid-19 to meet any scarcity of staff on the frontline. He said Rajesh Kotecha, secretary, Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in a communique to the state has also mentioned it. The communique stated that during the 72nd meeting of the Empowered Group — II, formed to ensure the availability of essential medical equipment and manpower for the management of Covid, it was decided that the Ministry of Ayush will engage with different states for the deployment of Ayush professionals for the management of Covid. The Ministry of Ayush has already communicated to deploy Ayush professionals for the clinical management of Covid as well as management of isolation and quarantine centres for Covid patients. Its website contains details of Ayush government doctors and staff, registered Ayush practitioners, Ayush contractual doctors, state Ayush staff, Ayush UG students and Ayush PG students. It was also requested earlier that District Ayush Officers should be included in the district-level Coordination Committee for Covid management in their respective districts. A training of master trainers for Ayush healthcare providers was already conducted, Dr Singh said.