Gujarat to host WHO's Traditional Medicine Global Summit

Regional Director of WHO (World Health Organisation) South-East Asia, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh on Sunday said that the traditional systems of medicine have the potential to improve health, wellness, and people-centred health care.

"The traditional systems of medicine have the potential to improve health, wellness, and people-centred health care. WHO has been collaborating with member countries in the region to strengthen farmer co-vigilance and research capacity. And set benchmarks for training and practices in several traditional medicine systems in the region," Dr Poonam Khetrapal said.
To assess the efficacy of products WHO has been developing common regional research guidelines.

"Countries in the region are at the forefront of the global momentum on traditional and complementary medicine reflecting their commitment to leveraging the potential of traditional and complementary medicines to achieve national, regional, and global goals," she added.

Khetrapal said that the region's progress has been strong, more needs to be done to integrate safe and effective traditional medicine into health systems, to help meet the help needs of the people throughout the life course.

"An evidence-based approach is crucial for the coexistence of traditional medicine guiding decisions and effective modalities and integration methods," the WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia said.

 "The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Center in Jamnagar and this traditional medicine summit will accelerate efforts to harness the immense potential of traditional medicine to achieve health for all," she added.

According to WHO's official website, the World Health Organization (WHO) is convening the Traditional Medicine Global Summit on 17 and 18 August 2023​ in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

Co-hosted by the Government of India, the Summit will explore the role of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine in addressing pressing health challenges and driving progress in global health and sustainable development.

High-level participants will include the WHO Director-General and Regional Directors, G20 health ministers and high-level invitees from countries across WHO’s six regions. Scientists, practitioners of traditional medicine, health workers and members of civil society organizations will also take part, the WHO site said.

(ANI)