In a major boost to the nation’s sports ecosystem, the Sports Injury Centre (SIC) at Safdarjung Hospital and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) have signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The strategic partnership aims to establish a seamless, world-class healthcare network dedicated to injury prevention, advanced diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation for Indian athletes and support staff.
The landmark agreement was executed in the presence of Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava and Secretary (Department of Sports) Shri Hari Ranjan Rao. By combining SIC’s specialized clinical expertise with SAI’s extensive elite athlete network, the collaboration will deliver highly integrated, comprehensive medical care.
A cornerstone of this initiative is the development of indigenous, evidence-based research. The partnership will focus on creating injury prevention protocols tailored specifically to the unique physiology of Indian athletes, reducing dependency on Western benchmarks. Additionally, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare plans to scale this model by expanding sports medicine facilities to newer AIIMS institutions and linking regional SAI Centres of Excellence with local medical colleges. The initiative will also enhance postgraduate sports medicine education and partner with institutions like NIMHANS to provide specialized psychiatric and holistic health care.
Written by: Pragna Biswas
Graphics by: Pramit Hazra
