The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage as the WHO - Collaborating Centre (CC) for Fundamental and Literary Research in Traditional Medicine, reported PTI.

The National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (NIIMH), Hyderabad, is a unit under the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of Ayush, Government of India.

This recognition is granted for a period of four years, starting from June 3, an Ayush Ministry statement said.

Professor Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of CCRAS, NIIMH and Head of the WHO-CC, remarked, "This designation by WHO is a significant milestone, reflecting our relentless efforts in the field of traditional medicine and historical research."

The institute has been a pioneer in various digital initiatives of Ayush, including the AYUSH Manuscripts Advanced Repository (AMAR) portal, which catalogues 16,000 Ayush manuscripts, featuring 4,249 digitised manuscripts, 1,224 rare books, 14,126 catalogues, and 4,114 periodicals.

The Showcase of Ayurvedic Historical Imprints (SAHI) portal showcases 793 medico-historical artefacts, while the e-books of Ayush project provide digital versions of classical textbooks.

The institute also publishes the Journal of Indian Medical Heritage.

In India, there are approximately 58 WHO-CCs spanning various disciplines of biomedicine and allied sciences.

Notably, CCRAS-NIIMH joins the ranks as the third WHO-CC in the domain of traditional medicine, following the Institute for Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar, and the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), added PTI.