Shimla, Apr 18 (IANS): Himachal Pradesh's Department of Ayurveda has been providing an immunity booster dose to people that help them fight coronavirus, officials said on Sunday.

The immunity dose named Madhushishtiyadi Kashay or 'kada' is being provided free of cost to senior citizens, including corona warriors.

About one and a half lakh packets of the dose have been distributed and the department has a target to produce over seven lakh packets, an official told IANS here.

To strengthen the ayurvedic system of medicine, the state government has initiated various steps.

A total of 1,252 ayurvedic health institutions, comprising 1,185 health centres, 34 hospitals, 14 homeopathy centres, three Unani centres, four Amchi centres and 12 other institutions, are providing healthcare facilities.

In 2019-20, 42 lakh patients -- 41 lakh out-patients and 97,945 indoor patients -- got the treatment through ayurveda centres.

The state has established herbal gardens in Jogindernagar in Mandi district, Neri in Hamirpur district, Rohru in Shimla district and Jungle Jhalera in Bilaspur district. Various types of medicinal plants are being grown in the herbal gardens and are being used to prepare medicines for various ailments.

Under the Medicinal Plant Cultivation Scheme, the department is providing a financial assistance to farmers for cultivation of medicinal plants.

Under the National AYUSH Mission, the department is running programmes for the prevention of anaemia in Theog in Shimla district, Kasauli in Solan district, Karsog in Mandi district, Teesa in Chamba district, Bhoranj in Hamirpur district and Bangana in Una district.

The department has also started School Adoption Programme and 1,712 schools have been adopted under this. In these schools, awareness regarding personal hygiene, daily lifestyle, food nutrition, common diseases and drug abuse through AYUSH has been provided to the students.