An agreement was signed between the National Institute of Siddha (NIS) and All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur to bolster collaboration in R&D activities, with a special focus on promoting the renowned Siddha traditional medicine system in Chhattisgarh.
The MoU signed between the two institutes is expected to accelerate research-related activities and programs, specifically to find treatments for COVID-19. As per the press release explaining the scope of the agreement, a randomised clinical trial will be undertaken to explore dealing with the virus using the age-old medicine system that can be found in religious and mythological literature as well. In the absence of strong medical facilities in rural regions, Siddha practitioners and healers provide vital services to a large section of the country’s population.
This is one of the many recent achievements of NIS as the Regional Raw Drug Repository (RRDR) for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani medicines is also being set up at the Chennai-based institution and will serve as the library and database for raw drugs in the southern plateau region. Furthermore, the role of NIS to boost immunity pre and post COVID-19 have also been appreciated widely and the benefits of Siddha medicine have been acknowledged.
The newly-signed agreement will help popularise the traditional medicinal system in a varied field of specialty medicine, collaborate with academicians, and promote it in medical education, patient care, and research as well. Furthermore, the combined expertise of the institutes will also be used to develop the Department of AYUSH at AIIMs, Raipur. To mark the occasion of signing the agreement, the directors of NIS and AIIMS, Raipur, R. Meenakumari, and Nitin M. Nagarkar, respectively, participated in a virtual meeting.
