By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 31: The state government is working on a separate Directorate of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) to ensure that the facilities which have been created under AYUSH do not go to waste.
Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said they will also need to put in place a separate AYUSH Human Resource (HR) policy to ensure that they will not have any problem in appointment of faculties and staff to be attached to the Directorate of AYUSH.
The Health department has written to the Revenue and Urban Affairs departments requesting land for construction of the infrastructures for new directorate.
The Union Ministry of AYUSH has agreed to sanction 13 AYUSH health and wellness centres for Meghalaya.
The Health department is looking set up these centres in the existing PHCs and CHCs across the state.
Lyngdoh stressed on the need for an extensive exercise to prepare the budgetary provisions for the new Directorate, especially the salary component.
“I have given instructions to the department to convene a meeting with the in-charge of the various district hospitals to highlight the budgetary requirements, especially the salary component. We do not want to see reports of nurses or other staff not getting their salaries due to lack of budgetary provisions,” she said.
The minister, meanwhile, spoke on the need to upgrade the existing PHCs and CHCs to use them as first referral units (FRUs).
Lyngdoh also said that she had approached the chief minister for funds to improve the quarters of the health staff who are posted in remote areas.
“We want our staff to have good quarters and other facilities as this will motivate them to serve the people better,” she added.