As more and more people take to alternative medicine, ayurveda and naturopathy clinics in the state seem to be growing rapidly. This could be gauged from the fact that such clinics and hospitals in cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat have seen their footfalls doubling in the last two years.
Kutch based Swas Healthcare promoted by an IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus, that runs a chain of naturopathy clinics across the state, is planning to come up with its second hospital within the next six months. Swas now operates a 40-bed hospital at Kharoi in Kutch."We are looking at starting a 40-50 bed brownfield facility in the state, and currently are in talks with two to three potential partners.The idea is to acquire an existing infrastructure and do some value-addition and then run it", said Sanjay Singh, director, Swas Healthcare Pvt Ltd.
He added that the company is targeting to achieve a 40-50 per cent growth in turnover during 2011-12. Its current turnover is close to Rs 1 crore. Swas now runs two clinics at Ahmedabad, and one each at Surat and Rajkot apart from its hospital in Kutch.
Similarly, Vadodara based Sarvodaya Parivar Mandal Trust run 35-bed naturopathy hospital has seen its wait-list of patients seeking admission more than double from a two-month period around a couple of years ago to four to six months waiting now. The hospital is not only treating patients with common ailments like diabetes and arthritis, but also people with psycho-somatic problems.
Singh pointed out that in the last one year, Vadodara has seen a spurt in activities in the ayurveda and naturopathy segment, with many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) taking up such initiatives as an add-on service they are already providing together with wellness and rejuvenation centers coming up in parts of north Gujarat spanning Palanpur, Mehsana, Himmatnagar among others.
While it is difficult to arrive at an exact figure pertaining to the ayurveda and naturopathy industry size in the state, industry insiders roughly estimate it to be between Rs 20-30 crore. Buoyed by the good growth in the last few years, some clinics are also planning to come up with their own range of ayurvedic products.
City based Ayuraksha clinic said that it was planning to market products under its own brand this year. Gargi Bhasava of Ayuraksha said, "We first plan to test waters with our own range of products in Ahmedabad, and if we receive good response, we can then expand our footprint with more clinics as well as our marketing network in other cities."
"Patients have become more aware and conscious about alternative medicines. Many are complementing their allopathic treatments with ayurvedic medication or therapy. The non-resident Gujaratis also have a role to play in this. ", said Baldeo Prasad of Maharshi Ayurveda Clinic in Ahmedabad.
He added that Gujarat has around eight to ten Ayurveda colleges and nearly 1,000 qualified naturopaths pass out every year who have either Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences (BNYS) or Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) degrees. People are taking to naturopathy mainly to cure chronic diseases like osteo-arthritis, asthma, diabetes, kidney and liver disorders among others, Prasad said.
Source:Business Standard
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