AIIMS Raipur and IGNTU Amarkantak partners to improve tribal health

RAIPUR: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, and Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak, have partnered to tackle significant health concerns in tribal areas, including sickle cell disease, renal failure, and genetic disorders.

This collaboration aims to combine their resources and expertise to improve healthcare and awareness among tribal communities, said an official press release.

An MoU was signed by AIIMS Raipur's Executive Director Lt Gen Ashok Jindal (Retd) and IGNTU's Vice-Chancellor Shriprakash Mani Tripathi at IGNTU, Amarkantak.

Lt Gen Jindal emphasized the importance of higher education institutions in advancing research and development, noting AIIMS's efforts in establishing a genetic lab to study diseases like sickle cell anemia. He further highlighted the potential of IGNTU's outreach programs to raise awareness about genetic diseases in tribal areas.

Prof Tripathi addressed the pressing health issues in tribal communities, such as aging, skin diseases, cancer, and renal failure. He underscored IGNTU's work in herbal medicine, skill development, and yoga, emphasizing the need for validation, classification, certification, and distribution of their benefits. He also offered IGNTU's state-of-the-art lab facilities to AIIMS researchers.

Both institutions agreed to collaborate in fields like biotechnology, pharmacy, yoga, and chemistry. Faculty members and researchers from both institutions will have access to each other's facilities to further their collaborative projects. One of the key goals is to create health awareness among tribal populations with the help of AIIMS.

IGNTU faculty members, including Registrar Prof N S Hari Narayana Moorthy, Prof A K Shukla, Prof Naveen Kumar, Prof Bhumi Nath Tripathi, Prof A P Singh, and Prof Poonam Sharma. Dr Vijay Paramanik was present during the program, the release added.