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Vijayawada: Ina move aimed at enhancing patient well-being and creating a soothing environment in government hospitals, the state government has initiated the process of identifying suitable locations for setting up herbal gardens with walking tracks and other basic amenities.

Preparations are underway to establish medicinal plant gardens in government teaching hospitals, where flowering and herbal plants will be cultivated to provide a pleasant and calming atmosphere for patients and their attendants. Officials are surveying available spaces to develop these gardens with facilities such as walking tracks, benches and drinking water arrangements.

Health minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav said in a statement here on Friday that in the first phase, the government plans to set up herbal gardens in all teaching hospitals and super-specialty hospitals under the Directorate of Medical Education (DME). The initiative will cover DME-run teaching hospitals, SVIMS, ENT Hospital in Visakhapatnam, the Maternity Hospital in Tirupati, the Kidney Research Institute at Palasa and other specialty hospitals across the state.

The Greening and Beautification Corporation will also be a key partner in developing these gardens. Depending on land availability within hospital premises, a wide range of medicinal plants such as Tulasi, amla, bilva, drumstick, ashwagandha, rosemary, ranapala, aloe vera, Ashoka, turmeric and Brahmi will be planted. Officials said that each garden may house a minimum of 15 to 40 varieties of medicinal plants, with at least half an acre of land being developed wherever feasible.

Walking tracks will be created to allow patients and attendants to relax and rejuvenate. Special consideration is also being given to medical students, with the gardens serving as learning spaces for medicinal and aromatic plants, said Avula Chandrasekhar, chief executive officer of the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Board. The project will also receive financial support from donors.

The initiative follows directions issued by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu during a recent departmental review, reinforcing the government’s focus on holistic healthcare and green hospital campuses.