PITAHC and Ateneo partner to advance traditional and alternative health care research

The Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) and Ateneo de Manila University have entered into a Research Funding Agreement to enhance research and development in traditional and alternative health care. Represented by Director General Dr Ma. Teresa Co Inigo and Vice President for Higher Education Dr Maria Luz C Vilches, respectively, the agreement aligns with Republic Act No. 8423, also known as the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997 (TAMA)  and Republic Act No 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act  (UHC)of 2019.  The partnership focuses on developing an electronic recording and reporting system and repositories for traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (T&CM) research. The main research project included in the partnership titled “Traditional Medicine Health Records and Reports in National Databases’ or TaMaRHiND will also be addressing health-related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) objectives.

Led by Dr Dennis B Batangan, Ateneo's School of Social Science Institute of Philippine Culture, research scientist, the project aims to foster inclusive innovation and strengthen digital inclusion, particularly in support of the UHC implementation in the Philippines and the ASEAN health development agenda aimed at strengthening health systems and access to care. This collaboration is a strategic move to integrate traditional and alternative medicine into the broader healthcare system, leveraging technology to advance research and citizens' access to holistic health services.