Transdisciplinary health sciences institute opens

 With an aim to harness science out of 'slokas', a university dedicated to transdisciplinary health sciences, Institute of Transdisciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (IHST), was inaugurated here on Sunday.

This is the first university in the country, exclusively dedicated to transdisciplinary health sciences, according to the officials.

The institute, spread across 17 acres, was inaugurated by Sam Pitroda, advisor to the Prime Minister, who is also its chairperson.

It will focus on integrating traditional health sciences with modern medicine, apart from giving priority to affordable healthcare.

The university, which started as a voluntary organisation nearly two decades ago, has worked on developing a database of all the medicinal plants in the country with the Statewise data.

As many as 6,500 medicinal plants have been documented.

“We will look into creating science out of slokas. Today it is fashionable to build five-star hospitals. But that does not solve problems of the country. We hope this university will be the IIT for traditional health in India,” he said.

Only research

Vice Chancellor Darshan Shankar said the university was not keen on introducing any under graduate or postgraduate courses at the moment.

“The moment we start that we will have to fit into existing framework. We will guide only research and post-doctoral research scholars. Over the next 10 years, we want to develop evidence to claims about the effectiveness of traditional medicine. Only then we will be able to influence policy decisions in accepting transdisciplinary health sciences in the mainstream,” he said.

The idea of the research would be to record local medicinal plants relevant to specific geographical location. “Nature is generous. Every place has relevant medicinal plants. We do not have to always bring them from Himalayas.”

He said the university would also launch an initiative to distribute handbooks on important plants in the location in every taluk.

The university requires Rs 300 crore funds for its development and research activities.