GS Paper 2
Syllabus: Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services Relating to Health
Source: TH
Context: The ICMR under the Union Health Ministry and the Union Ministry of Ayush has agreed to enhance cooperation in health research in the field of integrated medicine.
| An integrated system of medicine/complementary medicine | |
| Meaning | It means a conjoint study, training and practice in indigenous/traditional medicine (ayurveda, Unani, etc) and modern (allopathy) medicine. |
| Why do patients favour complementary medicine? | 5 barriers(5As) to healthcare: awareness, access, acceptability, affordability, and accountability. |
| Complementary medicine gives people with chronic diseases who have already tried a number of things an option. That is why, 50% of people use complementary medicine, and more than 70% have used it at some point during their lifetime. | |
| Concerns | No evidence-based benefits of complementary medicine, lack of data on safety and efficacy, and a lack of standardization of formulations. |
| Integrative medicine is a business: Data shows that it increases the cost of care and does not improve the patient’s clinical outcomes. | |
| Efforts to promote complementary medicine in India | The National Integrated Medical Association (NIMA) is an Indian NGO of general practitioners educated in integrated system of medicine. |
| The National Ayush Mission (launched in 2014) has played a crucial role in preserving and promoting India’s traditional systems of medicine and their integration into the mainstream healthcare system. | |
| WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (Jamnagar, Gujarat) was set up to promote Traditional Medicines as a system of treatment for various ailments. | |
| CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine is a premier institute located in Jammu and dedicated to the research of drug discovery. | |
| Some universities in India offer BISM (Bachelor in Integrated System of Medicine) | |
What is the agreement between ICMR and the Ministry of Ayush: The two-day National Ayush Mission Conclave talks about the practice at AIIMS and research in complementary medicine.
Significance of the move:
- It will enhance the treatments that can be offered under one roof.
- It will help build harmonized protocols for clinical care research, and this is especially important for non-communicable diseases, where medical treatment options are limited.
- It will take Ayurveda and yoga to the world.
Way ahead: Randomised control trials (RCTs) and peer-reviewed studies of traditional medicine must be promoted.
Conclusion: Many systems of medicine have a role to play in keeping human beings well. Modern medicine is extremely important, but there is a wealth of wisdom and ancient traditions which can be incorporated sensibly and safely for the well-being of man.
Insta Links:
Integrated medicine system to alter the future of disease management
