The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has joined forces with the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, operating under the Ayush Ministry, to issue a call for proposals for the establishment of an Integrative Health Research Center at AIIMS. The primary objective is to advance research in integrative health by seamlessly blending Ayush systems with conventional biomedicine and modern technology. This endeavor is aimed at delivering integrative healthcare to the public, ultimately improving patient outcomes by introducing groundbreaking innovations in diagnostics, preventative strategies, health promotion, and treatment methods, as detailed in the proposal document.
The ICMR and the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences will jointly provide funding for the establishment of the Ayush-ICMR Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research (AI-ACIHR) at AIIMS as part of their extramural research program. This center will engage in research within specified areas, with a strong emphasis on integrative healthcare, overseen by experienced research teams.
The Ayush-ICMR Advanced Center for Integrative Research at AIIMS seeks to encourage collaboration and a research environment that bridges the gap between various medical systems, ultimately leading to the development of integrative health research. It will identify areas of knowledge deficiency and priority domains where integrative medicine holds significant promise. Research in these priority areas will be conducted to generate robust evidence, as elucidated in the document.
Another objective is to formulate integrated management protocols, combining insights from both traditional and modern medicine, for priority diseases identified based on the generated evidence. Mechanistic studies will be conducted to provide a deeper understanding of the integrative medicine approach.
The document underscores the need for a comprehensive healthcare framework that can inform future health policies and programs. India, with its wealth of indigenous medical knowledge and a robust infrastructure, coupled with a skilled healthcare workforce in modern medicine, is well-positioned to contribute to the growing global interest in integrative health.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was recently signed between the Ministry of Ayush and ICMR at an inter-ministerial level. The primary objective of this agreement is to promote high-impact research in integrative health, with the goal of generating evidence in priority areas of national healthcare significance using modern scientific methods.
In a collaborative endeavor, Ayush-ICMR Centers for Advanced Health Research will be established at AIIMS in a phased approach. These centers will conduct rigorous clinical trials focused on identified areas and disease conditions of national importance, incorporating promising integrative therapies to generate evidence that garners wider acceptance, as outlined in the document.