A.P. has sought ₹257 crore Central funds for strengthening AYUSH sector, says Health Minister

The Andhra Pradesh government has submitted a proposal to the National AYUSH Mission, seeking ₹257 crore under the Annual Action Plan for the 2026–27 financial year to strengthen AYUSH infrastructure and services in the State, said Minister for Health, Medical and Family Welfare Satya Kumar Yadav.

Addressing a conference of Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani, and Siddha doctors at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada on Thursday, he said the government is committed to the development of AYUSH services.

He recalled that the TDP-led NDA government secured ₹85 crore in 2024–25 and ₹166 crore in 2025–26 under the National AYUSH Mission, and criticised the YSRCP government for ‘failing to obtain adequate Central assistance’. He said that discussions would be held with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to fill the vacancies in the AYUSH and Food Safety departments under a zero-vacancy policy.

Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav said integrated AYUSH hospitals, costing ₹15 crore each, would be set up in Tirupati, Giddalur, Nandigama, Tenali, Tekkali, and Rampachodavaram.

Ayurveda colleges at Dharmavaram and Pithapuram, along with a Unani college at Proddatur, will be developed at a cost of ₹210 crore. Construction of the ₹70-crore Naturopathy Medical College in Visakhapatnam is nearing completion, while new buildings for AYUSH Health Mandirs are also in the final stages of completion, he said.

The Minister said 216 AYUSH doctors have been recruited since 2024. Approval has been granted for 58 surgical procedures in Ayurveda, but implementation would begin only after consultations with stakeholders and adequate public awareness, he said.

Emphasising that promoting AYUSH does not diminish the importance of allopathic medicine, he stressed that allopathy remains essential for emergency care and complex surgeries.