VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government had implemented the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Ayush to the ‘maximum potential’ of available resources in the State from time-to-time, according to the compendium of Ayush-based practices from States and Union Territories for Mitigating and Management of Covid-19 released by NITI Aayog.
NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Suman Bery, who released the compendium, said it is critical to communicate the learnings from the testing times during the Covid-19 pandemic about how Ayush practices implemented at the national and State level benefited the people. NITI Aayog member VK Paul hoped that the practices documented in the compendium will be useful to address any future surge of the pandemic. While preparing the compendium, NITI Aayog asked all the State governments to share the Ayush practices they have undertaken for Covid-19 mitigation and management.
With reference to Andhra Pradesh, the report stated, “The guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Ayush were implemented to the maximum potential of available resources in the State from time-to-time. The initiatives were taken by the State government mainly with the objectives of Covid-19 prophylaxis and for hastening post-Covid recovery.’’
With respect to manpower, the compendium said 339 Ayush officers working in the government Ayush dispensaries were assigned duties for contact tracing, distribution of medicines, containment, counselling and clinical management. “About 400 PG scholars and interns extended their services for surveillance and distribution of prophylactic medications of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy as prescribed by the Ministry of Ayush.
These activities were extended in 13 districts to staff and family members of the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat, office of the Director General of Police, District Collectorates, Magistrate Courts, Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC) officers and staff of the Police Commissionerate, Vijayawada, Director of Public Health, Endowments Department, and sanitation workers in containment zones, as well as in quarantine and isolation wards,’’ it said.