Collaborative research in AYUSH is extremely important as it bridges the gap between traditional knowledge and modern scientific research, promoting a synergistic approach to healthcare, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday.

Mandaviya was speaking at the launch event of AYUSH-ICMR Advanced Centre for Integrated Health Research at four AIIMS in phases.

He announced the setting up of the centres and also announced other mega joint initiatives between the Ministry of Health and AYUSH, which included multi-centre clinical trial on anaemia, and the launch of Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) for AYUSH healthcare facilities.

The minister, during the event here, also launched the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) published by the Union Health Ministry as a set of uniform standards to improve the quality of health care delivery.

"By adopting these reforms, it is expected that the states and UTs will be able to develop AYUSH health care services with set standards and quality infrastructure, thereby enabling the public to avail the benefits of AYUSH medical services for all healthcare.

The health minister also inaugurated the 27th convocation of Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth and the 29th National Seminar on 'Ayurvedo Amritanam' on the occasion.

Expressing his elation at the launch of these collaborative initiatives, Mandaviya said, "Collaborative Research in AYUSH is extremely important as it bridges the gap between traditional knowledge and modern scientific research, promoting a synergistic approach to health care".

"Ayurveda is a part of our culture, heritage and tradition. It is still being followed in our everyday practice. This strategic collaboration aims to advance integrative health research, integrate traditional AYUSH practices with modern medical science and take India to the forefront of holistic healthcare innovations," he said.

Highlighting that the government is following an integrative approach so as to adopt the best practices from both the disciplines, Ayurveda and Allopathy, Mandaviya said the Centre is working towards providing quality-oriented healthcare towards the needs of the people of the country.

He congratulated the Ayush ministry for its "remarkable" journey in the last decade, resulting in significant initiatives and achievements.

Addressing the students attending the event, the minister urged them to take inspiration from the country's ancient scriptures and follow the practices with pride.

According to an official statement, the AYUSH-ICMR Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research are being set up to develop integrative health research by integrating AYUSH system with conventional bio-medicine, and modem technology to bring integrative health care to the people for improved patient outcome through innovations related to diagnostics, preventive, health promotive as well as treatment methods.

These centres will be set up at four selected AIIMS -- Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research in Gastro-intestinal Disorders and Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research in Women and Child Health at AIIMS-New Delhi, Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research in Geriatric Health at AIIMS-Jodhpur, Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research in Cancer Care at AIIMS-Nagpur and Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research in Geriatric Health at AIIMS-Rishikesh, the statement said.

The objective of these centres is to harness the mutual understanding and research environment between the different systems of medicine leading to integrative health research, it added.

The aim is also to identify priority areas where the approach of integrative medicine may have potential and conduct integrative research to generate robust evidence and develop protocols with inputs from both traditional and modern medicine in the identified priority diseases based on the generated evidence.

The aim is also to carry out mechanistic studies to explain the integrative medicine approach and to develop guidelines and establish pathways to facilitate cross referrals utilizing the integrative medicine approach, the statement added.

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