The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi has started providing free testing and treatment to patients in its COVID 19 Health Centre (CHC), the government said on Thursday.

The announcement for the same was made by the Union AYUSH Minister Shri Shripad Yesso Naik recently.

Minister Naik had visited The CHC on Tuesday to review the arrangements at the Centre for treatment of COVID-19 patients. During the visit the minister announced that CHC will provide free of cost testing and treatment facilities to all the patients.

He also inaugurated the Intensive Care Unit of CHC which has been equipped with ventilator facility and all other standard provisions of ICU.

AIIA has also been designated as COVID-19 testing centre (RT-PCR and Rapid antigen testing) by Government of Delhi. A COVID Call Centre has been established at AIIA for handling queries related to COVID 19 being raised by the general public telephonically.

The Institute has an important role in preventive and curative health care and research areas under the aegis of Ministry of AYUSH like Ashwagandha, Neem, Kalamegha, Giloy etc.

The Minister also praised prophylactic program ‘AYURAKSHA’ going on for 80,000 Delhi Police personnel under the directions of Ministry of AYUSH. Delhi Police being the frontline warriors of COVID -19 are being given AYURAKSHA kit for boosting the immunity and increasing quality of life against COVID 19. The AYURAKSHA kit contains Sanshamani Vati (prepared from Giloy), AYUSH kadha and Anu Taila for nasal application.

Till date 1,58,454 Ayuraksha kits has been distributed in two phases with overall compliance of more than 90%. Feedback of the Delhi police personnel is being analysed with the help of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). Positive feedback is being reported from the personnel with decreased anxiety levels, feeling of general well-being and reduction in minor symptoms like cold and cough. It is also observed that there has been decline in the incidence trend-line for COVID-19 as compared to trends of general population in Delhi, Ministry of AYUSH said in a statement.

During the visit to AIIA, the Minister also interacted with the team of doctors and enquired about the wellbeing of the patients at the centre. He sought their feedback about the facilities available at the COVID-19 health centre and the results of treatment by Ayurvedic medicines.

The Minister expressed satisfaction with the services provided byAIIA in wake of COVID 19 pandemic. He said that the spirit, enthusiasm, courage and efforts of the whole team of AIIA in providing care to the COVID positive patients on the basis of principles of Ayurveda is praiseworthy. AIIA is playing an exemplary role in providing Holistic care through individualized Ayurveda Medicine, diet, Yoga and Relaxation techniques to COVID 19 patients across India.