WHO–Ayush Initiative Advances Global Integration of Traditional Medicine Systems

Held at Hotel Imperial, the meeting marked a crucial milestone in integrating traditional medicine into internationally accepted health classification frameworks, thereby strengthening evidence-based and inclusive global healthcare.

In a landmark step toward the global mainstreaming of traditional healthcare systems, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened a two-day Technical Project Meeting on Traditional Medicine (TM) intervention code set development in New Delhi on December 20–21, 2025. Held at Hotel Imperial, the meeting marked a crucial milestone in integrating traditional medicine into internationally accepted health classification frameworks, thereby strengthening evidence-based and inclusive global healthcare.

The initiative stems from the historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Donor Agreement signed between the Ministry of Ayush and the WHO on May 24, 2025. This agreement laid the foundation for the development of a dedicated Traditional Medicine module within the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI), a global standard used to classify and compare healthcare interventions across countries. Under this collaboration, India is providing both financial and technical leadership to ensure the structured inclusion of Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani (ASU) systems into the global health architecture.

The initiative aligns closely with the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who has consistently emphasized the need to promote Ayush systems worldwide through scientific validation and standardized frameworks. In his Mann Ki Baat address, the Prime Minister highlighted that global standardization of Ayush interventions would enhance their credibility, acceptance, and reach across international healthcare systems. Echoing this vision, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, has underlined that a dedicated ICHI module for traditional medicine would support WHO’s broader goal of promoting safe, effective, and evidence-based healthcare for all.

The technical deliberations were chaired by Ms. Kavita Garg, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, who has been leading India’s efforts in developing National Health Intervention Codes for Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani systems. Under her guidance, an eminent panel of Indian experts played a pivotal role in shaping the discussions, including Prof. Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS); Prof. N. J. Muthukumar, Director General of the Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS); and Dr. Zaheer Ahmad, Director General of the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM).

The meeting witnessed robust international participation, with representatives from all six WHO regions—AFRO, AMRO, EMRO, EURO, SEARO, and WPRO—ensuring a truly global perspective. Senior officials from WHO Headquarters in Geneva, including Robert Jakob, Nenad Kostanjsek, Stéphane Espinosa, and Dr. Pradeep Dua, led discussions on intervention classification methodology. They were supported by Dr. Geetha Krishnan from the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC), Jamnagar, and Dr. Pawan Kumar Godatwar from the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), New Delhi.

Member states such as Bhutan, Brazil, India, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Mauritius, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States actively participated in the sessions. These countries shared their national experiences, assessed their current status in traditional medicine integration, and worked toward harmonizing intervention descriptions to ensure global consistency and comparability.

The integration of traditional medicine into ICHI is a critical step because intervention coding serves as a common global language for documenting health procedures. Standardized coding enables better data collection, outcome evaluation, policy formulation, and clinical research. By incorporating traditional medicine into national and international health information systems, this initiative will facilitate wider acceptance, improved reporting, and scalability of traditional healthcare practices worldwide.

The project will be implemented by the World Health Organization under clearly defined timelines and rigorous scientific protocols. Once completed, it is expected to significantly strengthen the role of traditional medicine in global health systems, support evidence-based policymaking, and reaffirm India’s leadership in promoting traditional medicine as an integral component of modern healthcare.