AYUSH Ministry, WHO sign pact to strengthen traditional medicine in Southeast Asian Region

It will also be a joint effort of the AYUSH Ministry and WHO in helping countries in the South-East Asia Region to develop policies and implement action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine.

At the ceremony, Singh said the close collaboration of WHO and the Government of India goes back many decades, to the Basic Agreement both parties concluded in 1952 to fulfil mutual responsibilities in the spirit of friendly cooperation. 'Today's agreement will formally extend this cooperation into the area of traditional medicine which is a valuable tool in our shared quest to achieve universal health coverage,' she said.

Kotecha said the AYUSH ministry has already had various interaction with the WHO in the field of ayurveda, yoga and other Indian traditional system of medicine.

These Indian systems are getting more popular and being accepted as Medicinal system in the South-East Asian, African countries, European and Latin America nations, the statement said.

As a major outcome of this partnership, the Ministry of AYUSH and WHO would work to identify various challenges faced by the member states of SEAR in regulating, integrating and further promotion of traditional systems of medicine. Further, the ministry and WHO will assist the member states to develop appropriate policy, regulation framework, exchange of information and activities for integration of traditional medicine in public health and dissemination of information about it to the community, the AYUSH secretary said. 

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