• The government of India committed $85 million over 10 years, 2022–2032, to support the programming of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre at a signing ceremony in Geneva on July 31.
• The Ministry of AYUSH and the World Health Organisation (WHO) signed a pivotal donor agreement to establish the financial framework for implementing activities at the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) in Jamnagar.
• India’s 10-year financial contribution will support a cross-sectoral programme of work to strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine by providing data and evidence on traditional medicine policies, practice, products, and public use.
• The WHO-India donor agreement is part of a $250 million investment from India in support of the establishment of the WHO Global Centre of Traditional Medicine in 2022, which includes financial support for the work plan of the Centre, interim premises and a new building.
• The first WHO traditional medicine global summit was held in August 2023 in Gujarat, resulting in a multistakeholder action agenda — the Gujarat Declaration.
• The next WHO Global Summit is planned for November 2025, following up on the anticipated launch of the 2025–2034 Global Strategy for Traditional Medicine at the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025.
• Worldwide, traditional medicine is used by billions of people for their health and well-being.
Traditional medicine
• Traditional medicine has a long history. It is the sum total of the knowledge, skill, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.
• Its reach encompasses ancient practices such as acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine and herbal mixtures as well as modern medicines.
• The terms “complementary medicine” or “alternative medicine” refer to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country’s own tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health care system. They are used interchangeably with traditional medicine in some countries.
• Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) is an important and often underestimated health resource with many applications, especially in the prevention and management of lifestyle-related chronic diseases, and in meeting the health needs of ageing populations.
• Around 80 per cent of the world’s population is estimated to use traditional medicine. As many as 170 of the 194 WHO Member States have reported the use of traditional medicine, and their governments have asked for WHO’s support in creating a body of reliable evidence and data on traditional medicine practices and products.
• The sociocultural practice and biodiversity heritages of traditional medicine are invaluable resources to evolve inclusive, diverse sustainable development.
• Traditional medicine is also part of the growing trillion-dollar global health, wellness, beauty, and pharmaceutical industries.
• The term traditional medicine describes the total sum of the knowledge, skills and practices indigenous and different cultures have used over time to maintain health and prevent, diagnose and treat physical and mental illness. Its reach encompasses ancient practices such as acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine and herbal mixtures as well as modern medicines.
• Traditional medicine is increasingly prominent in the world of modern science.
• Some 40 per cent of approved pharmaceutical products in use today derive from natural substances, highlighting the vital importance of conserving biodiversity and sustainability. For example, the discovery of aspirin drew on traditional medicine formulations using the bark of the willow tree, the contraceptive pill was developed from the roots of wild yam plants and child cancer treatments have been based on the rosy periwinkle. Nobel-prize winning research on artemisinin for malaria control started with a review of ancient Chinese medicine texts.
• There has been a rapid modernisation of the ways traditional medicine is being studied. Artificial intelligence is now used to map evidence and trends in traditional medicine and to screen natural products for pharmacokinetic properties. Functional magnetic resonance imaging is used to study brain activity and the relaxation response that is part of some traditional medicine therapies such as meditation and yoga, which are increasingly drawn on for mental health and wellbeing in stressful times.
WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine
• The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) in Jamnagar is a knowledge centre for traditional medicine.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the centre in presence of WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in April 2022.
• It is the first global outposted centre for traditional medicine across the globe and established under the ministry of AYUSH.
• It will concentrate on building a solid evidence base for policies and standards on traditional medicine practices and products and help countries integrate it as appropriate into their health systems and regulate its quality and safety for optimal and sustainable impact.
The new centre focuses on four main strategic areas:
i) Evidence and learning.
ii) Data and analytics.
iii) Sustainability and equity.
iv) Innovation and technology to optimise the contribution of traditional medicine to global health and sustainable development.
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