In a bid to ensure better health of the railway officials, the Railway Ministry on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Ayush to augment the existing system of Ayush in five Railway Hospitals.

The agreement was signed by Principal Executive Director/Health Gajendra Kumar, on behalf of the Railways and Advisor Manoj Nesari from Ayush Ministry. According to the railway ministry, the Ayush health services would be scaled up in five Railway Hospitals -- B R Singh Hospital in Eastern Railway, Perambur Railway Hospital Southern Railway, Central Hospital of Northern Railway, JR Hospital in Western Railway and Central Hospital of Northeast Frontier Railway.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha said: "Ensuring wellness of railway employees is of prime concern." "The traditional knowledge of Ayush systems can be harnessed to particularly help the vast majority of railway staff who are required to put in stressful field duties on site," Sinha said. Rajen Gohain who is also MoS for Railways said that cooperation of the Railway Ministry and the Ayush Ministry would go a long way in propagating the age-old benefits of traditional systems of medicine. "I am particularly aware of the good work and benefits being availed of the Ayush services at the Guwahati Railway Hospital," Gohain said.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ayush Ministry, Shripad Yesso Naik pointed out that Ayush Systems of Medicine "offers safe, effective and complete holistic treatment in many diseases".