AYUSH institutions open to incorporate ideas of each other to reduce digital divide: NAM

Kottayam, Sep 19 (PTI) AYUSH institutions across the country are set to incorporate key innovative ideas highlighted at a two-day national workshop here to fast-track efforts to reduce the digital divide and boost the popularity of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) said on Friday.

Senior officials from several states expressed willingness to adopt impactful practices from other regions and achieve digital readiness quickly by incorporating innovative features, according to a press release.

At the workshop on ‘IT Solutions for the AYUSH Sector’, officials revealed plans to implement certain solutions in their institutions for smoother, citizen-centric services, the release said.

The decisions are expected to accelerate the development of a comprehensive, interoperable digital framework for AYUSH, which was the core objective of the event, NAM said.

Organised at Kumarakom in association with the Kerala government’s Department of AYUSH and under the aegis of the Union AYUSH Ministry, the workshop saw participation from delegates representing 28 states and eight Union Territories, the release added.

Manipur, for instance, plans to implement a central biometric Aadhaar-based attendance system for staff across its 24 AYUSH institutions, according to Dr Bishwanath Sharma, Additional Director, Directorate of AYUSH, Manipur.

Kerala’s NextGen e-hospital platform also impressed delegates from Imphal, who praised it as a one-stop digital solution connecting patients, hospitals, and doctors on a single platform.

"To implement this in Manipur, we have contacted the National Informatics Centre for a potential collaboration," Dr Sharma said.

Manipur is also planning to launch a Learning Management System, similar to the one implemented by NAM Kerala, the release said.

Despite its advancements, Delhi’s AYUSH institutions continue to rely largely on manual operations for routine services.

"This requires a change, and this workshop has given us fresh ideas," Dr Akhilesh Vashishtha, AYUSH consultant from Delhi, said.

A senior official from North India described Kerala’s IT initiatives as "marvellous," adding, "It is hard to believe that states can implement such wonderful initiatives," the release said.

Delegates from Jharkhand highlighted the potential benefits if their state’s AYUSH institutions integrated the existing DVDMS (Drugs and Vaccine Distribution Management System) with Kerala’s A-HiMS 2.0 (AYUSH Homoeopathy Information Management System), a comprehensive IT platform managing healthcare delivery and patient care.

Officials from Gujarat said the state could adopt Kerala’s e-hospital software for patient registration in OPD and casualty departments, as well as for booking, confirming, and cancelling appointments, the release added. PTI HMP SSK