Uttar Pradesh will soon set up an All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) that would be a center of excellence for Ayurveda tertiary health care and promote education, research, and patient care.

Dr. PC Saxena, director, of Ayurveda, said, "A proposal for AIIA has been sent to the state government. Once approved, the process will start with the identification of land to establish the AIIA. This will be the first AIIA in Uttar Pradesh."

AIIA is similar to AIIMS or the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

An AIIA provides postgraduate/doctoral and post-doctoral teaching, research facilities, and quality patient care under the Ayurveda system of medicine.

Intramural and extramural research is also a significant area in an AIIA, apart from medicinal knowledge and linkages to the current healthcare system.

"We need around 15 acres of land to establish the AIIA. Once the state government approves the project and land is identified, the process of planning the infrastructure and facilities will begin," said Dr. Saxena.

The project is likely to come up in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Varanasi is a probable district. A final decision will be taken by the state government.

Dr. Abhishek Shukla, secretary general, of the Association of International Doctors, said, "One crucial area in AIIA is a national and international collaboration. As AIIA is an apex institute in Ayurveda and it can collaborate with other branches of medicine for research and patient care."

Uttar Pradesh presently has over 100 Ayurveda colleges, including 65 in the private sector and an AYUSH University in Gorakhpur. (KB/IANS)