Bhubaneswar: A total of 422 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) are now functional across the state after the Union government upgraded Ayush dispensaries into Health and Wellness Centres under the National Health Mission (NHM) and subsequently re-designated them as AAMs.
Union Minister of State for AYUSH Prataprao Jadhav informed the Rajya Sabha while replying to a question from Rajya Sabha member Dilip Ray on the measures being taken to strengthen Ayurveda and improve access to traditional healthcare in Odisha through scientific integration. The minister said that although public health is primar ily a state subject, the Centre extends financial and technical support to states under centrally sponsored schemes such as the National Health Mission (NHM) and the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and services. He said 422 Ayush dispensaries spread across 29 districts of Odisha have been upgraded into Ayush Health and Wellness Centres, which are now functioning as AAMs.
These centres provide a range of AYUSH healthcare services, with many offering Ayurvedic treatment. According to the minister, Sundargarh has the highest number of AAMs in the state, with 13 centres, while Deogarh is the only district without one.
Raising the issue, Ray said the increasing cost of medical treatment has made quality healthcare unaffordable for many people despite financial assistance being provided under various Central and state health schemes.
He stressed that expanding Ayurveda and Homoeopathy services to the village level would enable people to access affordable, traditional health care with minimal side effects. Ray also urged the Union government to promote research and wider application of Ayurveda in the state, noting that the state’s rich forest resources and abundance of medicinal plants provide immense potential for the development of traditional medicine.
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