SHILLONG: The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday inaugurated six new buildings as part of the Project II of North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy (NEIAH) to expand capacity.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “It gives me immense pleasure that we have been able to open up these six new buildings in Shillong today”.
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“They will expand the capacity of this premier institute which can play an instrumental role in furthering the role of traditional medicine in the region.
“Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, we are taking steps to build evidence based research in traditional medicine in tandem with modern medicine.
“We see huge role of integrative medicine in the healthcare solutions delivery system of the country in the forthcoming years.
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“The investment made by the government through these new buildings will embolden our effort to rejuvenate traditional medicine in this region of the country.
“I am happy to inform you that NEIAH will be starting its ambulance services soon,” added the Union Minister.
The Six new buildings will have a boys hostel with a capacity to accommodate 104 occupants, a girls hostel with a capacity to accommodate 104 occupants, eight units of Type III quarter, 6 units of Type IVA quarter, seven units of Type IVB cum Director’s Residence, a senior resident hostel with 25 units, and a guest house with 19 rooms and two suites.
The buildings were constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 60.16 crores.
Speaking about northeast’s role in traditional medicine, Sarbananda Sonowal added, “Our northeast is blessed by Mother Earth whose natural bounty has helped us heal for many generations.
“We simply want to take this process forward so that it can help many more people and help them live a better quality of life.
“The vision of PM Modi ji is to develop a healthcare delivery system which is effective and efficient.
“With the continuous impetus to build and expand capacity for research and build a scientific base for traditional medicine, I believe the six new buildings inaugurated today will play a crucial role for NEIAH towards the achievement of this objective,” added Sonowal.
NEIAH has witnessed a steady growth in patients as more and more people are experiencing better results at the hospital.
In the sinancial year 2022-23, the hospital saw footfall of 52,088 patients in its OPD clinics while 504 patients were admitted as IPD patients for healing and recovery.
In Ayurveda, NEIAH saw a footfall of 36,683 patients at the OPD clinics as well as 482 patients got admitted at the IPD section of the university.
In Homoeopathy, the footfall in its OPD clinics were 19,397 patients while 22 patients got themselves admitted under it.
As many as 35 health camps and four CMEs (Continuing Medical Education) were conducted by NEIAH during the same period.
The event was also attended by Guests of Honour, viz. Dr Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, Health & Family Welfare Minister, Government of Meghalaya as well as AL Hek, Minister of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Government of Meghalaya. Professor Prabha Shankar Shukla, Vice Chancellor, North Eastern Hill University (NEHU); Professor (Dr) Nalin Mehta, Director, North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) and Dr Neeta Mahesekar, Director, NEIAH also attended the event.