Need to link ancient knowledge of curing serious illness with modernity: PM

New Delhi, August 30 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the country has rich literature on curing serious illnesses dating back thousands of years but there has been little success in linking this ancient knowledge with modernity.

He also said through the Ayush Ministry, work has been underway for five years to change this approach by validating the ancient research in laboratories and presenting it in a way medical science can also understand.

The Prime Minister also asserted that if the healthcare system of the country has to be transformed, it has to be approached in a holistic manner by strengthening the combined power of traditional and modern medicines.

"We have literature dating back thousands of years. Vedas have references of curing serious illnesses. Unfortunately, we have achieved little success in linking this ancient research, the treasure trove of knowledge, with modernity.

"In the last five years, we have tried to change this. We prepared a scientific basis of it by validating it in laboratories. We presented it in a way that the medical science can also understand," he said.

Modi was speaking at the Yoga Awards ceremony here.

He noted that emphasis is being laid on making Ayush an important part of the country's healthcare system.

The prime minister said 1.5 lakh healthcare and wellness centres are being built, of which Ayush is also a critical component.

"We also have the target of building 12,000 Ayush centres, of which 10 have been inaugurated in Haryana today. Our endeavour is to establish 4,000 such centres this year which means every block would have one such centre," he said.

The centres inaugurated by the Prime Minister via video-conferencing are in Panchkula, Ambala, Kaithal, Karnal, Jind, Hisar, Sonipat, Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh.

He also stressed on the need to create a homogenous system by creating an "Ayush grid" on the lines of One Nation, One Tax and One Nation, One Mobility Card.

Modi said after ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, unani, sidda and homeopathy, sowa rigpa is being added as a member of the Ayush family. An international centre to promote sowa rigpa is being built in Ladakh, he said.

Sowa rigpa is a traditional Buddhist medicine practised in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong areas of West Bengal.

The prime minister said poor people have saved nearly Rs 12,000 crore by availing free treatment through the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

Referring to his Cabinet's decision of approving the construction of 75 new medical colleges in the country, he said the endeavour is to build one medical college in every district. 

This, he said, will not only help in treating major illnesses but also lead to increasing 16,000 MBBS seats in the country. —PTI