Minister of State for Health and Medical Education, Housing & Urban Development, and Social Welfare Asiea Naqash on Thursday reviewed the functioning of Department of Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM) and took stock of progress of works at Government Unani College Nawab Bagh, Ganderbal.The minister also reviewed Projects under construction at Narkara, Bemina Kupwara and other places of the valley.While reviewing the current status of dispensaries and hospitals, at different districts, the Minister asked the officials to gear up to promote and implement various government sponsored schemes in their respective areas for the benefit of people at basic level.The Minister asked the doctors to develop homeopathy as an alternate system of Medicine and create mass awareness about it. She also said that government is giving a thrust on Indian System of Medicine for it forms an important part of country's identity.In order to give a facelift to the AYUSH in the state of J&K, she said that the Unani Hospital at Shalteng would be made fully functional very soon and the hospital at Nawab Bagh would be completed by 31st March 2018.
The Minister was informed that the Ganderbal Unani Hospital has been constructed on 78 Kanals of land, with a capacity of 60 beds with clinical super specialty services.The meeting was informed that college block at Ganderbal has reached the completion stage and work on external road has been finished.During the meeting the present status of the implementation of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and mechanism in place for prescription audit was also discussed.The meeting also discussed number of units established for manufacturing the Ayurvedic products in the state and the amount spent on procurement of drugs separately under AYUSH, non-Plan and national health mission.On the occasion, Naqash was apprised that for proper functioning of the hospitals, creation of staff is imperative. The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Health and Medical Education, Dr Pawan Kotwal, District Commissioner Ganderbal, Piyush Singla, Technical Secretary/Director Health and Medical Education, Dr Abdul Kabir besides ADMOs, BMOs of various Districts and other senior officials.