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WHO and Ayush Ministry: How India Is Leading Global Traditional Medicine Integration

The WHO and India's Ayush Ministry just wrapped up a major two-day meeting in New Delhi. Their goal is to create a universal code for traditional medicine treatments within the global healthcare system. This effort, backed by a formal agreement, brings practices like Ayurveda into the mainstream for better tracking and research. With countries from the US to Sri Lanka involved, it's a big step toward making these ancient healing methods a recognized part of modern health care worldwide.

Key Points: WHO Ayush Meeting on Global Traditional Medicine Standards

  • Meeting aimed to set intervention codes for Ayurveda, Siddha & Unani in global standards
  • Driven by a landmark MoU signed between WHO and Ayush Ministry in May
  • Ensures global participation with representatives from all six WHO regions
  • Will aid clinical research and scale up traditional medicine in national health systems globally
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WHO, Ayush Ministry holds meeting to foster global integration of traditional medicine

WHO & India's Ayush Ministry held a key meeting to integrate Ayurveda, Siddha & Unani into global health intervention codes, with participation from 12+ countries.

"The integration of traditional medicine into ICHI is vital because intervention coding provides a common language for health procedures across different countries and medical systems. – Ministry of Ayush"

New Delhi, Dec 22

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Ayush held a two-day key technical meeting to integrate traditional medicine into global health intervention standards, the Ministry said on Monday.

The Technical Project Meeting on traditional medicine (TM), held from December 20-21 in the national capital, aimed to set an intervention code.

The initiative was fundamentally driven by the landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Donor Agreement signed between the Ministry of Ayush and WHO in May.

“The agreement serves as the cornerstone for developing a dedicated Traditional Medicine module within the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI), the international global standard for classifying healthcare interventions, with India facilitating both the financial and technical frameworks necessary to bring ayurveda, siddha, and unani (ASU) systems into the global healthcare mainstream,” the Ministry said.

"The integration of traditional medicine into ICHI is vital because intervention coding provides a common language for health procedures across different countries and medical systems. By standardising these codes, healthcare providers can better document, report, and analyse the frequency and efficacy of traditional treatments," it added.

The technical sessions were chaired by Kavita Garg, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, who led the Indian team in the development of National Health Intervention Codes for Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani medicine.

The meeting saw extensive participation from all six WHO regions, including Africa, Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific, ensuring a comprehensive global perspective on traditional medicine.

Member states, including Bhutan, Brazil, India, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Mauritius, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, the UK, and the US, participated to appraise their country status and harmonise intervention descriptions.

The Ministry noted that the project will be undertaken by the WHO with strict timelines, adopting a scientific approach.

It will not only aid in clinical research and policy support but also pave the way for scaling up traditional medicine within national health information systems globally.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

A
Aman W
Long overdue. Hope this leads to more research funding and integration into our own public health systems. We need to make these treatments accessible and affordable for the common man, not just for export.
R
Rohit P
While integration is good, we must be cautious. Standardisation should not dilute the holistic principles of Ayurveda to fit a Western biomedical model. The essence of *prakriti* and individualised treatment must be preserved.
S
Sarah B
Interesting to see the UK and US participating. As someone living abroad, there's growing curiosity about Ayurveda here. A common classification system will help people understand what treatments they are actually getting.
K
Karthik V
Good step, but the Ayush ministry needs to ensure quality control first. The market is flooded with sub-standard 'Ayurvedic' products. Global standards mean nothing if we don't clean up our act at home.
N
Nisha Z
Seeing countries like Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka at the table is important. This isn't just about India, but about sharing knowledge from the entire subcontinent. A collaborative approach will benefit everyone.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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