*Become one-stop wellness hubs
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 8: In a significant push towards integrating traditional healthcare practices into the mainstream, the Union Ministry of AYUSH has revealed that over 92.86 lakh beneficiaries have availed services from Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) in Jammu and Kashmir since their inception.
The data was presented in response to a starred question in the Lok Sabha today. According to the Ministry, a total of 523 existing AYUSH dispensaries in J&K have been upgraded to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs under the National AYUSH Mission (NAM). These upgrades were sanctioned based on the proposals submitted by the UT Government through its State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs).
The Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are part of a nationwide initiative to establish a holistic wellness model rooted in AYUSH systems-Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. These centres are aimed at offering preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative healthcare services while integrating with the existing public health infrastructure.
The Union Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge), Prataprao Jadhav, informed Parliament that the Government has undertaken various evaluation measures to assess the effectiveness of these centres. These include third-party reviews, assessments by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), and field visits by central teams to monitor implementation and service delivery.
Findings from these assessments indicate a significant increase in patient footfall following the upgradation of dispensaries into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Apart from standard Out Patient Department (OPD) services, the centres also offer specialized initiatives like Prakriti Parikshan (body constitution analysis), yoga sessions at both facility and community levels, and awareness programs on the medicinal use of common plants.
To further enhance their impact, visiting teams have recommended several measures, including focused training and capacity building of AAM personnel, stronger referral systems linking AAMs with larger public health facilities and active engagement of field-level health workers such as ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists).
The Government emphasized that these integrated efforts are geared toward offering the public informed healthcare choices and establishing AYUSH as a reliable and accessible component of India’s public health ecosystem.
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