Uttar Pradesh plans to establish All-India Institute of Ayurveda

Uttar Pradesh is set to establish its first All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), which will be a centre of excellence for Ayurveda tertiary health care, education, research and patient care.

The proposal for AIIA has already been sent to the state government, according to Dr PC Saxena, director, Ayurveda. The institute will provide postgraduate and post-doctoral teaching, research facilities, and quality patient care under the Ayurveda system of medicine, similar to AIIMS or All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Intramural and extramural research will also be a significant area in AIIA, along with medicinal knowledge and linkages to the current healthcare system.

Dr Saxena stated that the establishment of the AIIA would require around 15 acres of land, which the state government would identify, most likely in eastern Uttar Pradesh, with Varanasi being a probable district. Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary-general of the Association of International Doctors, emphasized the significance of national and international collaboration as AIIA is an apex institute in Ayurveda and can collaborate with other branches of medicine for research and patient care.

Currently, Uttar Pradesh has over 100 Ayurveda colleges, including 65 in the private sector and an AYUSH University in Gorakhpur. With the establishment of AIIA, the state government aims to promote Ayurveda and improve the quality of education, research and patient care in the state.