AIIA Goa to open new pastures of medical value tourism

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the satellite centre of All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) in Goa on Sunday. Already a much-loved tourist destination for Indian and international travellers, Goa is also poised to become a hub of Medical Value Tourism with the launch of AIIA - Goa.

Inbound tourism in Goa is already beginning to pick up post pandemic and the destination hosted over 19 lakh domestic and 34,000 international tourists between March 2022 and May 2022.

While the scenic beaches of Goa are already a perfect getaway for tourists, AIIA Goa will offer visitors an opportunity to benefit from India's diverse systems of traditional medicine and healthcare practices covered under the Ministry of Ayush. All India Institute of Ayurveda in Goa is envisioned to be a gateway to Ayurveda for holidaymakers, generating greater potential for Medical Value Tourism in Goa.

The All-India Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi has already made its mark in public healthcare infrastructure in form of a through its tertiary care centre that played an important role by that has benefitted as many as 15 lakh patients in the last five years. The Centre in New Delhi provides for treatment in across 36 specialty areas including panchakarma, diet, lifestyle, yoga, and ayurveda and diagnostic technology that are supported with ultra-modern diagnostic technologies including an ICU.

The satellite centre in Goa, with its sprawling 50-acre campus, is modelled along the same lines to offer preventive, diagnostic and tertiary healthcare facilities. The Goa Centre will also offer academic courses at under-graduate levels including 12 UG courses already offered at AIIA - New Delhi as well as new courses including Sharir Rachna and Agada Tantra.

The Goa satellite centre of All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), situated in Dhargal village of Pernem Taluka in North Goa, provides a perfect blend of ancient wisdom and modern technology in the field of tertiary care services.

The institute boasts an academic block, a hostel, a convenience centre, a sports facility, and a dietary centre. It also offers auxiliary services such as Panchkarma cottages with open area landscaping, a playground and a herbal garden for the holistic well-being of the patients.

"While the biodiversity and the medicinal plants found in the region will benefit the practice of Ayurveda, the AIIA satellite centre in Goa, which is an international tourist destination, will also boost the prospects of medical tourism in the country," said Professor (Dr) Tanuja Manoj Nesari, Director of All India Institute of Ayurveda talking about the institute.

Talking of medical tourism in Goa, Deputy Medical Superintendent of All India Institute of Ayurveda, Dr Alka Kapoor said, "Apart from the comparative cost advantage, the conducive environment, patient-friendly staff, expert medical team with an attitude of care with compassion makes Goa a perfect destination for medical tourism."