Kathmandu: Ayurvedic Hospital and Research Centre, a 25-bed hospital using only herbal medicines, is set to open in the near future. The hospital and research centre is being constructed on the premises of Tribhuvan University.

Dr Thakur Raj Adhikari, director of Department of Ayurveda (DoA) under Ministry of Health and Population, urged the government to prioritise herbal and ayurvedic medicines as they have been used for centuries to cure several ailments.

He said the ayurvedic research centre and hospital was being built with the financial assistance of the Chinese government. He said AHRC would conduct research programmes for finding out ayurvedic remedies for curing diseases. He added that herbs worth billions of rupees being exported would be used in a better way if used to uplift the health sector of the nation.

He said the research centre would use herbal medicines as they were easily available in our country. China is also providing equipment essential for the hospital, added the director.

“Due to lack of our traditional knowledge, we are not able to preserve and collect the expensive herbs,” said Adhikari, adding that they would launch training and education programmes to create awareness on the usefulness of herbal medicines.

DoA is also working for the establishment of 90 ayurvedic pharmacies and other regional hospitals as per the three-year-plan of the government.