New Delhi

India will support cancer care, as well as set up a Centre of Excellence for traditional medicine in BIMSTEC countries, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Modi said this even as he presented a comprehensive 21-point action plan during the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit held in Bangkok, laying out an ambitious road map for cooperation across diverse sectors.

“Public health is a vital pillar of our collective social development. I am pleased to announce that India will extend support for training and capacity building in cancer care across BIMSTEC countries,” PM Modi said.

“In line with our holistic approach to health, a Centre of Excellence will also be established to promote research and dissemination of traditional medicine,” he added.

It is worth noting that Thailand and India have robust traditional medicine systems with close mutual ties. With this announcement by the Prime Minister, the research and development activity in the area is set to get a significant boost.

The two countries have been working together to strengthen, promote, facilitate and develop academic and research collaboration in traditional medicine.

Last year the National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur, under the Ministry of Ayush and the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine of the Ministry of Public Health of the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an academic collaboration in ayurveda and Thai traditional medicine.

In academic collaboration, the ayush scholarship scheme of the Ministry of Ayush, is offered through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

The scholarship is provided for undergraduate and post-graduate studies in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, B.Sc. in Yoga, B.A. in Yoga Shastra, Ph.D in Yoga and Ph.D in Ayurveda.

In the past five years, 175 students from BIMSTEC regions have availed the scholarships.

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India and Thailand also have a long history of cooperation in various sectors including traditional medicine.