Bihar ayurvedic hospital witnessing surge in footfall amid Covid-19 crisis

As people are desperately looking for tips to boost their immune system to fight against the deadly coronavirus, a state-run ayurvedic college and hospital here is witnessing increased footfall.

The Rajkiya Ayurvedic College and Hospital in the state capital is now witnessing around 300 footfalls daily, while over 100 people normally visit the facility per day, its Superintendent Vijay Shankar Dubey told PTI.

Though the hospital has not been designated as a Covid centre, it is providing ayurvedic medicines to people to strengthen their immunity which would help them fight against the killer virus, he said.

At a time when the general hospitals are chock-a-block with Covid patients, the ayurvedic facility is doing its best for the people, he stated.

"We are also providing vaccination facility at our centre," Dubey said.

Deputy Superintendent of the hospital Dhananjay Sharma said the authority is offering "Ayush Kadha" (decoction) recommended by the Union government to people, free of cost.

In addition, the government ayurvedic college is also conducting yoga sessions for the people to help them stay safe during the Covid-19 crisis, he said.

The ayurvedic hospital has 140 beds for general patients and those admitted in the facility are also being taken care of in these challenging times, the superintendent said.

Dr Amrendra Kumar Singh of the hospital said, "We are prescribing 'Kadha', 'Dhanwati' and 'Chyavanprash' to boost the immunity of people. We are also providing medical consultation to needy people over the phone," he added.

Sharma and Singh were diagnosed with the Covid-19 infection and recovered through ayurvedic treatment.

To meet the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the hospital authority has cancelled the leaves of all the doctors, paramedics and other staffers, barring a few employees who need it for maternity and education purposes, Dubey said.

"We have around 10 doctors and 45 paramedics now. We have sent a request to the health department to fill up six vacant posts of doctors," Sharma added