Land finalised to build Ayush Sports Medicine Centre in Mangaluru

The land to set up an Ayush Sports Medicine Centre has been finalised in Mangaluru.

The government has sanctioned 30 cents of land near Karavali Utsav ground for the purpose. After finalising the land, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) was submitted to the Ayush department of the central government.

The Ministry of Ayush had sanctioned an Ayush Sports Medicine Centre as part of the National Ayush Mission to Mangaluru during 2021-22.

District Ayush officer Dr Mohammed Iqbal told DH that this is the first Ayush Sports Medicine Centre. The first Ayurveda sports hospital, with advanced treatment facilities for the injured sports men and women in the country, was set up in Thrissur in Kerala a few years ago.

As the Mangala Stadium has tracks and fields and the indoor stadium swimming pool is nearby, it will benefit the sports personnel receiving treatment at Ayush Sports Medicine Centre.

The centre, which was sanctioned to Mangaluru, will combine Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy for guiding the sports personnel.

As per the DPR, the centre will emphasise on injury management and fitness management. The centre will have a fitness lab and sports lab with all equipment required for the fitness management and measurement.

About Rs 1 crore is needed for setting up the lab itself, Dr Iqbal said.

The centre will be of "international standards" to cater to the needs of sports personnel. It will have a therapy centre and basic facility for sports personnel arriving from various parts.

“Through the centre, the department wishes to become a fitness partner for a sports team in Dakshina Kannada. In two years, we want to become a fitness partner for a team in Karnataka. In the next five years, we want to become a fitness partner for the Indian Olympics team,’’ he said.

‘’The department will have to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Sports, Sports Authority of India and other private institutions,” Dr Iqbal elaborated.

He said: “For fitness management, the centre has to prepare a standard operating procedure for the sports personnel as per their requirement. The SoP will deal with food, diet, medicine, counselling, psychological support, confidence boosting and supplements for their fitness. In the case of injury management, the department will treat them.”

For the time being, Ayush will set up an OPD wing at the Ayush Hospital on the Wenlock Hospital premises as part of sports medicine. Five beds will be reserved for the purpose, he added.

They also appealed to the government to sanction staff and basic facilities immediately. Once they are sanctioned, the OPD will start functioning, Dr Iqbal added.