Bhubaneswar, Oct 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of Central Research Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy (CRIYN) at Jatni in Odisha’s Khurda district.
Modi also inaugurated the Central Drugs Testing Laboratory at Gothapatna in Bhubaneswar.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the project through video-conferencing, while launching development projects related to healthcare and extending government’s flagship health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above.
The PM also unveiled a Critical Care Block in Bargarh district.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attended the inaugural event at Gothapatna.
On the occasion, he laid the foundation stone of two Central Research Institutes in Yoga and Naturopathy at Khordha in Odisha, Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
He also laid the foundation stone of four Centres of Excellence at NIPER Ahmedabad in Gujarat for medical devices, NIPER Hyderabad in Telangana for bulk drugs, NIPER Guwahati in Assam for phytopharmaceuticals, and NIPER Mohali in Punjab for anti-bacterial anti-viral drug discovery and development.
The Prime Minister underscored that in the past decade, the country had witnessed the beginning of a new chapter in the health sector with the amalgamation of knowledge of Ayurveda with Modern medicine. He added that All India Institute of Ayurveda had been a focal point of this chapter.
Modi remarked that seven years ago on Ayurveda day, he was fortunate to dedicate the first phase of the institute to the country and today with the blessings of Lord Dhanvantri, he was inaugurating the second phase of the institute.
He noted that it would be possible to see the ancient techniques like Panchakarma infused with modern technology in this institute along with advanced research studies in the fields of Ayurveda and medical science.
Noting that the progress of a nation is directly proportional to the health of its citizens, the Prime Minister highlighted the government’s priority to the health of its citizens and outlined the five pillars of health policy.
He listed the five pillars as preventive healthcare, early detection of ailments, free and low-cost treatment and medicines, availability of doctors in small towns and lastly expansion of technology in health services.
“India is looking at the health sector as holistic health”, Modi said, adding that the projects of today provide a glimpse of these five pillars.
Touching upon the inauguration and foundation stone laying of projects worth more than Rs 13,000 crore, the Prime Minister mentioned creation of 4 centers of excellence under Ayush Health scheme, expansion of health services with the use of drones, helicopter service in AIIMS, Rishikesh, new infrastructure in AIIMS, New Delhi and AIIMS, Bilaspur, expansion of services in five other AIIMS in the country, establishment of medical colleges, bhoomi pujan of nursing colleges and other projects related to the health sector.
