Lok Sabha Question No. 1358 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Research for Integrated Medicine
Ministry: AYURVEDA,YOGA & NATUROPATHY,UNANI,SIDDHA AND HOMEOPATHY (AYUSH)
Asked by: Abdul Majeed Ariff

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1358 FOR ANSWER ON 09.02.2024

## Research for Integrated Medicine

## 1358. ADV. A.M. ARIFF:

Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has taken/proposed to take any concrete steps for collaboration/cooperation in health research in the field of Integrated Medicine and if so, the details thereof along with the current status therefor;

(b) whether it is true that the Government has decided to conduct high quality clinical trials jointly on identified areas/disease conditions of national importance with promising therapies of AYUSH system to generate evidence for wider acceptance and if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government  is aware that apprehensions have been raised against collaboration  between  the  Indian  systems  of  medicine  and  modern  system  of  medicine  as envisaged  by  the  Government  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  action  taken thereon; and

(d)  the  details  of  the  list  of  institutions  identified  by  the  Government  to  implement collaboration/cooperation  in  health  research  across  the  field  of  Integrated  Medicine  in  the first phase?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF AYUSH (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)

(a) A  Memorandum  of  Agreement  was  signed  between  Ministry  of  Ayush  and  Indian Council  of  Medical  Research  (ICMR)  on  11.05.2023  with  the  objective  to  promote  and develop  cooperation  and  collaboration  on  health  research  between  Ministry  of  Ayush  and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to-

- i. Explore the areas of collaboration, convergence and synergy between Ministry of Ayush and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for integrative health research.
- ii. Strengthening  research  capacity  between  Ministry  of  Ayush  and  Indian  Council  of Medical Research (ICMR).

The  Government  has  completed  the  health  related  research  studies  like  management  of Osteoarthritis  (Knee)  at  Safdarjung  Hospital  New  Delhi,  National  Reproductive  and  Child Health  services  at  Primary  Health  Care  (PHC)  level  in  Himachal  Pradesh,  National Programme  for  Prevention  and  Control  of  Cancer,  Diabetes,  Cardiovascular  Diseases  & Stroke (NPCDCS)  and  intervention in Reproductive and Child Health (RCH)  in Maharashtra.

(b) Ministry of Ayush has jointly undertaken multi-centric clinical trial and health research with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) on research areas like anaemia.

(c) No such apprehensions were received in the Ministry of Ayush till date.

(d) In the first phase, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) across the country are identified  by  the  government  to  implement  collaboration  and  cooperation  in  healthcare research in the field of integrated medicine to establish Ayush-ICMR Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research (AI-ACIHR).

The  Government  has  undertaken  various  collaborative  researches with an integrative approach research model for scientific evidence generation of Ayush medicines at Institutions of  national  repute  like  Council  of  Scientific  &  Industrial  Research  (CSIR),  Centre  for Integrative Medicine and Research (CIMR), Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).