The National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), in Jaipur, and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Jaipur, Rajasthan to cooperate in the field of education, training, research, publication and popularisation of the Ayurveda system of medicine in Malaysia.
Ayurveda is India’s traditional natural healing system, which has been practiced for over 5,000 years. It was signed by Professor Sanjeev Sharma, Director of NIA and Hon’ble Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik, Council Chairman of UTAR.
The MoU would also enable NIA to assist UTAR in starting a faculty of Ayurveda for full-fledged Bachelors and Masters Degree programmes in Ayurveda in Malaysia. Before visiting Jaipur, the delegation led by Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik participated in the World Ayurveda Congress held in Kolkata on 1-4 December.
India and Malaysia have robust collaboration in the field of traditional and complimentary medicine. At the governmental level, pursuant to a MoU signed in 2010, the two countries have set up a bilateral Technical Commission between the Malaysian Ministry of Health and the Ministry of AYUSH, which meets annually. The 4th bilateral Technical Meeting will be held later this month in Kuala Lumpur.
India has deputed an Ayurveda doctor and two therapists to the Malaysian Ministry of Health since 2014 and a Siddha doctor is expected
to arrive in Malaysia soon.
The Government of India has also gifted two ‘Shirodhara’ machines to the government of Malaysia.
Every year the Indian Government also offers 20 scholarships to Malaysians to pursue Bachelors’ degree in Ayurveda and other systems of traditional and complimentary medicine in India.
