Coimbatore : Ten grama panchayats including Ikkaraipoluvampatti, Narasipuram, Thevarayapuram, Perur, Chettipalayam are celebrating a unique heartwarming achievement, as 75 per cent of those diagnosed with anemia in the panchayats three years ago, are now free of the condition, thanks to Isha-AYUSH.

Following strict social protocols, the celebratory events had, invited guests
and recovered patients who received drumstick and papaya saplings, to symbolize healthy food choices.

Isha Foundation in association with the Ministry of AYUSH launched ‘ AYUSH – Isha Organic Health System in 2017

Ten Grama Panchayats with 49 villages were included in the project and one of the first issues that the project addressed was anemia, a
widespread condition in rural India and 654 people were diagnosed with anemia in the panchayats.

Several actions were implemented immediately to tackle the issue including: Door-to-door distribution of traditional medicines recommended by the Ministry of AYUSH, Regular monitoring of hemoglobin level, Door-to-door anemia awareness programs touching more than 10,000 people, appointment of ‘Ayush Sevak’ in every village to provide traditional medicines reaching more than 22,000 people and. free Yoga camps for 10,000 people, an Isha release said today.

As a result, 489 of the 654 people diagnosed with the condition three years ago, have recovered – a 75 per cent recovery rate, even as. the ministry’s target of 70 per cent recovery has been surpassed in these panchayats.

The AYUSH-Isha Organic Health System is an initiative of Isha’s Action for Rural Rejuvenation which has been working in the villages of Thondamuthur block for more than 15 years.

AYUSH incorporates Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy in an integrated system to bring holistic health and well being, especially in rural communities.

According to the 2020 Global Nutrition Report, 50 per cent of the women in the reproductive age (one in two women) are anemic, it said.