MP offers assured career progression scheme for Ayush doctors

Bhopal, Sep 24 (IANS) In parity with the Health department, the Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP) pay scale will now be extended to AYUSH specialists and officers in Madhya Pradesh, benefitting 2,698 personnel -- including 1,453 Ayurvedic doctors, 228 homeopathic practitioners, and 85 Unani physicians.

In a landmark gesture on the 10th National Ayurveda Day on Tuesday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced sweeping reforms for the AYUSH department, heralding a new era of recognition and expansion for traditional medicine in the state.

Chief Minister Yadav was addressing the state-level celebration at Kushabhau Thakre Auditorium in Bhopal.

He announced that all AYUSH medical officers will be elevated to first-class status and granted senior designations.

Chief Minister Yadav also announced the inauguration of 12 new AYUSH hospitals, including two 50-bed facilities in Ujjain and Khajuraho, and 10-bed hospitals across 10 districts such as Pachmarhi, Mandsaur, and Agar-Malwa.

The AYUSH public health programme will now operate in 55 districts, and a new "Karunya" initiative will offer Ayurvedic care to cancer patients.

Under the National AYUSH Mission, eight new Ayurvedic colleges are being established, with three -- in Jhabua, Shujalpur, and Dindori -- opening this year.

B.Sc. Nursing courses will commence in Bhopal, Jabalpur, and Ujjain, each with 30 seats.

Additionally, new pharmacy buildings and a 50-bed hospital in Khandwa are underway.

Furthering the integration of wellness and tourism, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the AYUSH and Tourism Departments to promote AYUSH wellness tourism.

This initiative aims to attract domestic and international visitors seeking holistic healing through Ayurveda.

The AYUSH department has served more than 1.5 crore beneficiaries in Financial Year 2024–25 through 2,000 plus institutions.

Programmes like Supraja, Ayurvidha, Vayomitra, and rheumatic disease prevention have reached 1.93 lakh citizens.

A joint campaign with the Public Health Department will target sickle cell anaemia, while 800 dispensaries have been upgraded to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

The Devaranya scheme continues to promote medicinal plant cultivation in tribal regions, and 595 new AYUSH officers have been appointed in the past year.

These reforms mark a decisive stride toward mainstreaming traditional medicine and enhancing public health across Madhya Pradesh.

--IANS

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