By :- Team VOH
16 Jun 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (NIIMH) as a WHO-Collaborating Centre (CC) for "Fundamental and Literary Research in Traditional Medicine." NIIMH, located in Hyderabad, operates under the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) within the Ministry of Ayush.
This prestigious designation, effective from June 3, spans a four-year period, according to a statement from the Ministry of Ayush.
Established in 1956, NIIMH is a unique institution dedicated to documenting and showcasing medico-historical research in Ayurveda, Yoga Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, Homeopathy, Biomedicine, and related healthcare disciplines in India. Under the leadership of Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of CCRAS and Head of the WHO-CC, NIIMH has achieved this milestone through persistent effort and dedication.
"This designation by WHO is a significant milestone, reflecting our relentless efforts in the field of traditional medicine and historical research," said Professor Acharya.
NIIMH has been a pioneer in several digital initiatives of Ayush, including the AYUSH Manuscripts Advanced Repository (AMAR) portal, which catalogues 16,000 Ayush manuscripts, featuring 4,249 digitised manuscripts, 1,224 rare books, 14,126 catalogues, and 4,114 periodicals. The Showcase of Ayurvedic Historical Imprints (SAHI) portal features 793 medico-historical artefacts, while the e-Books of Ayush project provides digital versions of classical textbooks.
Additionally, the National Ayush Morbidity and Standardized Terminologies Electronic (NAMASTE) portal collects cumulative morbidity statistics from 168 hospitals, and the Ayush Research Portal indexes 42,818 published Ayush research articles.
NIIMH also houses more than 500 physical manuscripts, alongside the Medical Heritage Museum and Library, which features rare books and manuscripts dating back to the 15th century AD. The institute publishes the Journal of Indian Medical Heritage and offers detailed information on its official website.
In India, there are approximately 58 WHO-CCs spanning various disciplines of biomedicine and allied sciences. Notably, CCRAS-NIIMH joins the ranks as the third WHO-CC in the domain of traditional medicine, following the Institute for Teaching and Research in Ayurveda in Jamnagar and the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) in New Delhi.
As the first WHO-CC for "Fundamental and Literary Research in Traditional Medicine," NIIMH is tasked with assisting WHO in standardising terminologies for Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Sowa-Rigpa, and updating the Traditional Medicine Module-II for the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). The WHO-CC will also support member states in developing research methodologies for traditional medicine.
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