GANGTOK: The Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, organised a two-day National Summit on “AYUSH Mission & Capacity Building of States” on September 3–4, at the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), New Delhi. The summit was chaired by Pratraprao Jadhav, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of AYUSH, and attended by senior officials, experts, and policymakers from across India.
The summit focused on strengthening the National AYUSH Mission (NAM), with discussions on integrating AYUSH into modern healthcare, financial management, human resource development, organizational structure, digital innovations, medicine procurement, and service quality enhancement, a press release informs.
From Sikkim, Suchitra Rasaily, Secretary, Department of AYUSH & Principal Director-cum-Mission Director, and Dr. Karma Chaden Bhutia, Additional Director-cum-State Programme Officer, National AYUSH Mission, represented the State.
The Secretary, AYUSH, Government of Sikkim was also invited as a panel member in the high-level discussion on “Human Resource Strengthening and Capacity Building in AYUSH”, where Sikkim’s initiatives for institutional strengthening were highlighted, along with policy inputs that will shape the national framework for developing AYUSH manpower, the release mentions.
Sikkim’s active participation was widely noted. The establishment of a dedicated Department of AYUSH under the leadership of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) was highlighted as a pioneering step to realise the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister for Vikshit Bharat 2047. The creation of exclusive positions of Secretary, Mission Director, and State Programme Officer for AYUSH was commended by the gathering as a model institutional mechanism for strengthening AYUSH.
The two-day programme featured state presentations, keynote addresses, and technical sessions where both government and private sector experts shared insights on expanding AYUSH access at the grassroots level. The consolidated recommendations will be submitted to NITI Aayog for shaping future policies under NAM.
The summit reaffirmed the Government of India’s commitment to making AYUSH an integral pillar of public health strategy, ensuring safe, effective, and sustainable healthcare options for citizens. Sikkim’s contribution reflects its growing role in advancing holistic health and wellness both at the State and national level, the release mentions.
- SA Report
