Unani, Siddha treatment centres inaugurated at Safdarjung Hospital

People visiting the Safdarjung Hospital here can now opt for traditional Unani and Siddha treatments, with the Centre-run institute launching the services on Friday. The development at the hospital, one of the biggest in the national capital, is in line with the central government's push for traditional system of medicine that focuses on preventive healthcare, keeping in view the rising instances of chronic lifestyle diseases.

The Unani Medical Centre, established by the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), and the Siddha Clinical Research Unit, set up by the Central Council for Research in Siddha Medicine (CCRS), were inaugurated at the OPD complex of the hospital by Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik. Naik said the government was taking special interest towards healthcare through traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda and Unani.

The Centre has set a target of establishing 12,500 AYUSH health and wellness centres across India under the Ayushman Bharat scheme to deliver traditional medicinal services at the grass-roots level, the minister said. "4,000 such AYUSH centres will be set up during this year," he said.

The Union minister hoped that the Unani Medical Centre and the Siddha Clinical Research Unit will provide holistic healthcare to patients visiting the Safdarjung Hospital. The CCRUM currently runs Unani Medical Centres at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in the national capital.

Additional Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, Pramod Kumar Pathak said the ministry has a mandate to ensure optimal development and propagation of AYUSH systems and is working to bring them to the mainstream by promoting their use in the National Public Health System. The central government aims at strengthening its flagship health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat by integrating traditional medicine therapy with allopathy at the primary health centres to check rising non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and obesity, Pathak said.

The government is stressing on seamless integration of the two pillars of Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana – to achieve its "health for all" target, he said.

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