Integrated Medicine Symposium held at Lok Bhavan
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 2 Sep: An “Integrated Medicine Symposium” was organised at the Lok Bhavan here on Wednesday by Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical Education University. Medical experts, academicians and specialists associated with various systems of medicine from India and abroad participated in the symposium.
Professor and Chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine at Maharishi International University, USA, Dr Charles Elder, and Dr Amit Shah of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, also shared their views.
On the occasion, Secretary of the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha; Padma Shri awardee Dr SC Manchanda; former Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay; Chairperson of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine, Dr Manisha Kothekar; and Vice-Chancellor of HNBG Uttarakhand Medical Education University, Prof (Dr) Bhanu Duggal, participated in a panel discussion on “Integrative Medicine”.
An MoU was also signed on the occasion between the Ministry of AYUSH, ICMR-NIRDH, and Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical Education University to promote cooperation. The objective is to connect AYUSH with modern medicine and national health initiatives, promote training and capacity building in digital health, and accelerate research and innovation through technologies such as artificial intelligence and remote monitoring.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Lt General Gurmit Singh (Retd) said that integrated medicine is not about one system of medicine competing with another. Rather, its objective is to harness the collective strength of all systems of medicine to provide better healthcare to patients and humanity as a whole. He said that a new approach and awareness towards this concept is emerging across the world, and that India and Uttarakhand must play a significant leadership role in this field.
The Governor described the MoU signed among Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical Education University, the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as an important step. He expressed confidence that it would lead to significant achievements in the fields of research, innovation, education and healthcare.
He said that the day’s event was not merely a symposium but an initiative to bring different perspectives on medicine onto a common platform and chart a new direction for human welfare. The Governor said he was extremely satisfied with this historic initiative and expressed confidence that it would have far-reaching effects and benefit not only India but humanity as a whole.
Union Minister of State for Health, Prataprao Jadhav, emphasised the need for better coordination between traditional systems of medicine and modern science and said that the Ministry of AYUSH would work with the state government in this direction. He highlighted the need for wider use of innovation, new technologies, telemedicine and mobile AYUSH units to ensure that healthcare reaches the last person.
The Union Minister of State for Health said that strong cooperation among the Ministry of AYUSH, state governments, universities, medical colleges and research institutions is essential for establishing an integrated healthcare system. He said that specialists in allopathy, Ayurveda and other systems of medicine should promote joint research, training and academic programmes with the patient’s wellbeing at the centre.
He called upon Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical Education University to take the initiative towards establishing the state’s first “Centre of Excellence” for Integrated Medicine. He assured that the Central Government would extend full support to the university and the state government for this important initiative.
Medical Health and Medical Education Minister Subodh Uniyal, Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev, MLA Durgeshwar Lal, Secretary to the Governor Ravinath Raman, Secretary Ranjana Rajguru, Additional Secretary Reena Joshi, Additional Secretary Vijay Kumar Jogdande, Vice-Chancellor of Uttarakhand Ayurveda University Dr Arun Kumar Tripathi, along with students from various medical colleges, were present at the programme.
