The state of Uttar Pradesh in India is planning to establish an All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), which will serve as a centre of excellence for tertiary healthcare in Ayurveda, promoting education, research, and patient care. Like the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the AIIA will offer postgraduate and doctoral teaching, research facilities, and quality patient care under the Ayurvedic system of medicine.
Dr PC Saxena, Director of Ayurveda, has sent a proposal to the state government, which is currently under review. Once approved, the process of identifying suitable land to establish the AIIA will begin. The institute will require approximately 15 acres of land, and the infrastructure and facilities planning process will commence once the land has been identified.
The AIIA is expected to be established in eastern Uttar Pradesh, with Varanasi being a probable district. The state government will make the final decision on the location of the institute. Intramural and extramural research is a significant aspect of the AIIA, in addition to medicinal knowledge and linkages to the current healthcare system.
The AIIA will function as a centre of excellence for Ayurvedic tertiary healthcare and set the highest standards of education, research, and patient care. National and international collaboration is also a crucial area in which the AIIA will play a role. As an apex institute in Ayurveda, it will be able to collaborate with other branches of medicine for research and patient care.
Uttar Pradesh currently has over 100 Ayurvedic colleges, including 65 in the private sector, as well as an AYUSH University in Gorakhpur. The establishment of the AIIA will further boost the state’s reputation in the field of Ayurveda and provide additional opportunities for education, research, and patient care.