WHO to Set Up Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India: WHO

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated two future-ready national premier Ayurveda institutions to the nation to mark celebration of the 5th Ayurveda Day, here today through video conferencing. The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the Institute of Teaching & Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar as an Institution of National Importance (INI), and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur as a Deemed to be University by the University Grants Commission.

Shri Shripad Naik, Minister of State (IC), Ministry of AYUSH, Shri Kalraj Mishra, Governor of Rajasthan, Shri Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Rajasthan, Shri Acharya Devvrat, Governor of Gujarat, and Shri Vijaybhai Rupani, Chief Minister of Gujarat participated virtually.

The Prime Minister highlighted the rich legacy of traditional medicine that India has been blessed with. This has been recognized worldwide, more so during the times of the global pandemic of COVID-19 for its beneficial and health and wellness endowing supreme properties, he stated. The Prime  Minister stated that the focus has now shifted to prevention and wellness, and the importance of holistic and integrated medicine systems for overall wellness and health of the people. India’s traditional systems of medicine have amply demonstrated to the world the power of Ayurveda. It is now important to develop scientific evidence-based research structures to integrate with the modern knowledge repositories to move ahead in the 21^st century. Integrative medicine is the need of the hour, he highlighted. While India has been known as Pharmacy of the World, with evidence-based research, we can take traditional medicine systems and Ayurveda to new heights, he stated.

The Prime Minister pointed out that during the Corona period the demand for Ayurvedic products has increased rapidly all over the world. He said exports of Ayurvedic products increased by about 45 percent in September this year compared to the previous year. He added the significant increase in export of spices like turmeric, ginger, considered as immunity boosters shows the sudden boost in confidence in Ayurvedic solutions and Indian spices across the world. He said that during the Corona period, the focus is not only limited to the use of Ayurveda alone but to advance research related to AYUSH in the country and the world.

The Prime Minister emphasized that Ayurveda is not an option anymore, but forms a fundamental pillar of the country’s national health policy and health interventions.

The Prime Minister congratulated the two premier Ayurveda Institutes and urged them to work in the direction of developing new curriculum to explore and also match the new challenges and opportunities in the field of modern medicine. He urged the Ministry of Human Research and Development (MoHRD) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to work on this, which shall in turn give a boost to the doctoral and post-doctoral studies.

The Prime Minister also urged the private sector and the start-ups industry to study the global demand for Ayurveda globally, and to become champions for ‘VocalForLocal” across the world with their new developments in this field. We shall become the ones to herald a change in the health and wellness sector across the world, he stated.

Stressing on the importance of wellness, the Prime Minister mentioned about establishing 1.5 lakh Health &Wellness Centres across the country as part of the Ayushman Bharat yojana. Of these, 12,500 centres will be AYUSH Wellness centers with focus on integrative medicine systems.

Director General of World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave a video message on the occasion and praised the Prime Minister’s commitment to the universal coverage under Ayushman Bharat and evidence-based promotion of traditional medicines to achieve health related objectives. He announced the setting up of the Global Centre of Traditional Medicine in India. The Prime Minister thanked WHO and the DG for choosing India for the Global Centre of Traditional Medicine. Dr Tedros said that Ayurveda is an Indian heritage and it is a matter of happiness that India's traditional knowledge is enriching other countries also.

Ministry of AYUSH has been observing ‘Ayurveda Day’ every year on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras) since 2016.

ITRA, Jamnagar: Recently created through an Act of Parliament, the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), is poised to emerge as a world class healthcare institution. ITRA has 12 Departments, three clinical laboratories and three research laboratories.  It is also a leader in research work in traditional medicine, and presently, it is conducting 33 research projects. ITRA has been formed by conglomerating the cluster of four Ayurveda Institutes at Gujarat Ayurveda University campus, Jamnagar. It is the first Institute in Ayush Sector having the Institution of National Importance (INI) status. With the upgraded status,  ITRA will have autonomy to upgrade the standard of Ayurveda education as it would offer courses as per modern, international standards.  Further, it will forge inter-disciplinary collaborations to give a contemporary thrust to Ayurveda.

NIA, Jaipur: An Ayurveda institution with country wide repute, NIA got a shot in the arm with Deemed to be University (De novo Category) status. Inheritor of a 175-year legacy, NIA’s contribution to preserving, promoting and advancing authentic Ayurveda in the last few decades has been significant. Presently NIA possess 14 different departments. The institute has very good student teacher ratio with a total intake of 955 students and 75 faculties during 2019-20.  It runs numerous courses in Ayurveda ranging from certificate to doctoral level. With state-of-the-art lab facilities, NIA has also been a pioneer in research activities. At present, it conducts 54 different research projects.  With the conferring of Deemed to be University (De novo category), the National Institute is set to reach new heights by achieving highest standards in tertiary health care, education and research.