Ayush departments in all upcoming AIIMS: Harsh Vardhan

The nearly dozen upcoming All India Institutes of Medical Sciences across the country will have "huge" departments of alternative medicine with a special focus on ayurveda, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Friday.

"We want to ensure that ayurveda gets proper recognition in modern day science," Harsh Vardhan said at the 6th All India Congress on ayurveda here.

He said: "We will create huge departments of ayush in the dozen All India Institutes of Medical Sciences which are coming up for holistic development of medicine."

He said ayurveda has given to the world most of the things which modern medicine has given much later.

The minister added: "Our government is fully committed to giving ayurveda its best place since independence."

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who was also present, said there are numerous methods in ayurveda but these have not been tapped properly.

She said: "At present, we are exporting more raw material than finished drugs and goods."

Mahajan said there is a need to ensure a comprehensive quality control mechanism as far as ayurvedic drugs are concerned.