Global Information Hub on Integrated Medicine – GlobinMed
Envisioned during the 12th Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting in 2001 amidst the booming era of internet, the Commonwealth Information Hub on Traditional and Complementary Medicine (InfoHub) was proposed and was aimed to be the one-stop centre whereby credible and validated information on Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) would be available to both public and professionals through cyberspace. In the coming years through several high profile international meetings and acknowledging the dire need of more evidence-based information, this InfoHub revolutionized into the Global Information Hub on Integrated Medicine (GlobinMed), with an anticipation of providing evidence-based information towards the establishment of Integrated Medicine.
This GlobinMed project is currently managed and spearheaded by the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) for the Ministry of Health Malaysia, is a central electronic database at URL address www.globinmed.com that hosts validated and up-to-date information covering a comprehensive range of areas on Integrated Medicine from all over the world. The vision is to be the most credible provider of evidence-based information on T&CM towards the establishment of Integrated medicine. GlobinMed strives to become the source of referral on T&CM to the world through smart partnership, technology advancement and dedicated staff.
GlobinMed consists of various information on T&CM as depicted below:
With this enormous width and depth of T&CM sectors, it is very crucial that GlobinMed initiative must be through collaborative efforts from every known segments: conservation and biodiversity of the flora and fauna, advancement in research and development, manufacturing and marketing, policy and stakeholders’ interests, latest robust IT enhancement and many more need to be addressed in ensuring that the end products which are medicinal products or T&CM services are safe and efficacious for the public use.
To satisfy the need of content enrichment and expansion on T&CM, GlobinMed witnessed many collaborative efforts with both local and international partners:
- local research institutions: Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) and Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI);
- local universities: University of Science Malaysia (USM), Malaysia National University (UKM), University of Technology MARA (UiTM), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn (UTHM), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS); Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS)
- private sectors: HerbWalk Consultancy and Quantum Beez Sdn. Bhd.;
- professional bodies: Chiropractic Society;
- many local and state agencies;
- international platforms: United Nations International Trade Centre (UN-ITC), Canadian Resources, American Botanical Council, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and many more.
To stay abreast the latest technology, GlobinMed also had numerous encounters and partnership with local IT providers such as Forte Tech Solutions Sdn. Bhd. and MMCA Sdn. Bhd., and involved with the transfer of technology from Intramedicine in United States.
With strong support and commitment from the Malaysian Government and through concerted effort of promotional and marketing activities, GlobinMed strives to create public awareness, powered with the latest, authenticated and validated information that are related to T&CM. In order to ascertain continuous updates on the information on the ever progressing world of IT, potential providers for both technology enhancement and information enrichment related to T&CM are invited to participate in this project. Venturing into this vast potential of interactive platform brings hope not only in spurring the robustness of the website but also as a mean of providing economic sustainability of the website.
