All India Institute of Ayurveda – Centre of Excellence

Last Updated on November 21, 2017 by Bharat Saini

All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), the first ever, having a perfect blend of Ancient Wisdom with Modern Diagnostic Tools and Technology, modelled on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Delhi on the occasion of 2^nd ‘Ayurveda Day’ on 17 October ‘17. Expressing his government’s commitment to achieve integration of Ayurveda, Yoga and other Ayush systems in the public health care system, Prime Minister called upon the practitioners of Ayush to develop their own trust in the system and work for its expansion with full devotion and to go for research to develop medicines with immediate results but without side effects, keeping in view the demands of the times. He called for strengthening Ayurveda for improving the overall wellness in the society. He emphasised that, ‘Ayush integrated into the public health care system will not be a decision just confined to files, but will be a practical reality,’ and that ‘Ayush is not just a system of medicine but it brings in its ambit social, public and environmental health.’ He said that there should be an Ayurveda hospital in every district.

AIIA, set up in a total campus area of 10.015 acres with a budget of Rs 157 crore, is the apex Ayurveda institute under the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) and is also the first medical institute under the AYUSH ministry to hold the coveted National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditation. AIIA’s vision is, “To be an Outstanding Centre of Excellence for Ayurveda Tertiary Health Care and set highest standards of Education, Research and Patient Care through Ayurveda for the benefit of humanity”.

AIIA has the following Objectives:

• To provide postgraduate/doctoral and post-doctoral teaching, research facilities and quality patient care services under the Ayurveda system of medicine.
• To act as a referral hospital and a “Centre of Excellence” to set highest standards of education, research, patient care and also function as a model centre for international collaboration.
• To act as a model institution to show the strength, efficacy and popularity of Ayurveda. The institute will be used for promoting Ayurveda in India and abroad.
• To provide the services in specialties like Panchkarma, Kayachikitsa, Vata-Vyadhi, Rasayna, Kayakalpa, Twacha roga (Skin disorders), Vajikaran, Shalya Tantra, Kshar evam Anushastra Karma (Jalauka and Rakta Mokshan, Agni Karma etc.), Marma Chiktisa, Vrikka roga (Nephrology), Mutra roga (Urology), Shalkya (Eye, ENT and Dental disorders), Stri Roga and Prasuti Tantra, Bal Roga, Rog Nidan, Lifestyle and Metabolic disorders, Yoga and Swastha Vritta, Ahara Bidhi Vigyan(Dietetics), Ayurvedic Pharmacy, Fundamental Principles of Ayurveda and their application in a set up that combines the ancient tradition of Ayurveda along with the Advantages of biomedicine, current management & information technology tools.
• To impart interdisciplinary post-graduate-doctoral and post-doctoral teaching, training and research in all Ayurvedic specialties and also health and hospital management programmes. It will have all necessary infrastructures to cater to secondary and tertiary level health care facilities for diagnosis and treatment in collaboration with national and international institutions.
• To give highest priority to explore and explain the scientific basis of various aspects of Ayurveda through collaborative, inter-disciplinary research. In this direction the required infrastructure would be developed with the help of various R&D institutions including Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), National Institute for Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) and other national level institutes. Human resources and infrastructure of participating institutions will be utilized in conducting project-based research programmes on need specific clinical and drug studies.
• To develop model teaching tools, demonstration modules of teaching in Postgraduate/ Doctoral and Post–doctoral Ayurveda Medical education in all branches so as to demonstrate high standards of education for use in Ayurvedic institutions.

AIIA has a 200 bed referral hospital for facilitating clinical research. It has started working towards facilitating quality patient care and research, bridging gaps in scientific information about quality, safety and efficacy of Ayurveda products, and developing benchmarks of Ayurvedic education, research and healthcare.

The present clinical specialities of hospital block include neurological and degenerative disease care unit, rheumatology and musculoskeletal care unit, diabetes and metabolic/allergic disorders care unit, Yoga, Panchakarma clinic, Kriya Kalpa, diabetic retinopathy clinic and infertility clinic. It also has pathology, biochemistry, microbiology and radiology laboratories and diagnosis facilities.

Post-graduate programme (MD/MS) in Ayurveda at AIIA started from the academic session 2016-17 and the PhD courses have been started for the session 2017-18.

Emerging global demand towards Ayurveda has given a lot of thrust to have a centre of excellence of Ayurveda that cater not only to R&D and standardization needs of Ayurveda products but also sub-serve the purpose of imparting tertiary health care and interdisciplinary training & research in different disciplines of Ayurveda. Since its inception, the institute is attracting the attention of leading international medical institutions and experts from various parts of USA, Europe and other part of the world.

AIIA would provide state-of-the art Ayurvedic treatment facilities where visiting diplomats, delegates and other interested foreign visitors along with common public could be taken to provide them a glimpse or first-hand experience of classical Ayurveda therapies, education and scientific research. AIIA would be instrumental in attracting foreign patients for Ayurvedic treatment of such chronic health problems, which do not find solutions in other medical systems. The Institute is expected to help boosting medical tourism in India and showcasing strengths of Ayurveda.