Kerala has invested Rs 1,000 cr to develop AYUSH infra in state, says CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said the government has invested Rs 1,000 crore in the past three years to develop the Ayush infrastructure in the state, including an International Institute of Ayurveda Research and a new Ayurveda medical college in Idukki district.

The CM inaugurated a two-day Global Ayurveda Summit and Kerala Healthcare Tourism here and set the tone for the deliberations by focusing on the policy initiatives of the state government to facilitate a holistic healthcare environment.

The summit is spearheaded by the Confederation of Indian Industry with support from the Ministry of Ayush and Central and State governments.

"Our strength lies in seamlessly blending traditional ayurvedic practice with cutting-edge modern medicine," Vijayan was quoted in a release issued by the organisers.

The speakers at the summit called for promoting Kerala as God's own healing destination by focusing on the unique strengths of the state in modern medicine, ayurveda, and tourism.

Addressing the various sessions of the event, they stressed the importance of a holistic and integrated approach in healthcare management by combining the latest developments in medical sciences and the indigenous and traditional knowledge systems, the organisers said in the release.

The Republic of Maldives Minister of State for Health, Ahmed Gasim, said Kerala is the main choice for people from the Maldives for their healthcare needs.

Lauding the healthcare facilities in the state, Gasim said Kerala could do better by improving the coordination between different service providers.

He said particular care needed to be taken in the areas of accountability, data protection, and safety. A standardisation of the services will help to further bolster the sector, he added.

In his keynote address at the inaugural session, Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, said the Indian Ayush market is expected to reach $ 200 billion by 2030 from the current $ 43.3 billion.

The sector has witnessed exponential growth of eight times in the past 10 years. The Ayush industry in the country has grown from $ 2.85 billion in 2014 to $ 24 billion in 2024, the release said.

The CII-KPMG report on Kerala's Healthcare sector was released during the inaugural session. A special edition of Oushadham magazine in memory of Dr MS Valiathan was also released at the session.

The two-day event has 82 exhibitions with 1,000 delegates. Representatives from 18 countries are also attending the event.