On May 11, 2023, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) under the Health Ministry and the Ministry of AYUSH signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to improve collaboration and cooperation in health research in the field of integrated medicine.

According to V.K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, this move will help Ayush departments in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) evolve into departments of integrated medicine across the entire AIIMS infrastructure in India.

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Health Minister, noted that this collaboration will use high-impact integrative research to develop evidence in critical areas of national relevance in healthcare using current scientific methodologies. He added that this will also assist in strengthening Ayurveda and expanding its identity based on scientific facts.

The MoA will also look at areas of convergence and synergy between the two agencies for integrative health research and research capacity building. It will also look into joint efforts to conduct high-quality clinical studies on specified areas and disease problems of national relevance using promising Ayush system medicines to build evidence for wider acceptability.

The Ministry of Health revealed that a joint working group will be created between the Ministry of AYUSH and ICMR to explore further areas of collaboration and work on deliverables. The ministry added that both institutions will formulate and implement joint research projects, allow joint supervision of programme activities, and design and conduct conferences, workshops, and seminars centred around the field of integrative healthcare.

Additionally, the health ministry also revealed that, as part of the collaboration, scholars, trainees, researchers, and faculty of both organizations will have access to advanced instrumentation systems and other infrastructural facilities as per the prevailing rules and regulations of the organizations for the duration of the project.

(Source:https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/icmr-and-ayush-to-work-together-to-boost-ayurvedas-identity-based-on-scientific-evidence-health-minister/article66838992.ece )