Traditional Medicine Moves Closer to the Heart of Global Health Care

Experts gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, during the World Congress on Public Health for a workshop titled Traditional Medicine and Public Health: Preparing for System-Wide Change.

Traditional medicine is often the first source of care for families, especially in communities where hospitals, doctors and medicines are difficult to reach. Its place within formal health systems is now receiving greater attention as researchers, policymakers and public health experts work to make its use safer, better regulated and supported by reliable evidence.

Experts gathered in Cape Town, South Africa, during the World Congress on Public Health for a workshop titled Traditional Medicine and Public Health: Preparing for System-Wide Change. The discussion focused on putting the recently adopted WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 into practice and strengthening the contribution of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine, known as TCIM, to people-centred health care.

Dr Geetha Krishnan Gopalakrishna Pillai of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre explained how WHO's work in this field has developed and why the World Health Assembly's adoption of the strategy matters. He said stronger scientific evidence is essential for improving safety, supporting effective regulation, guiding integration into health services and helping communities make informed choices about their care.

Research investment remains far behind widespread public use

Traditional medicine is already part of daily life for billions of people, with most WHO Member States reporting its use in some form. Research funding has not kept pace with this widespread reliance, leaving governments and health professionals without enough high-quality information to guide decisions about treatments, products, practitioners and their potential role in public health programmes.

Professor Amie Steel of Southern Cross University presented findings from WHO's global traditional medicine research priority-setting exercise, one of the largest reviews of the TCIM research landscape conducted to date. Experts and stakeholders from different parts of the world contributed to the process, identifying fields where stronger research and carefully directed investment could produce the greatest benefits for public health.

The exercise identified mental health, stroke, pain management, musculoskeletal conditions, cancer, metabolic disorders and reproductive health as major research priorities. It also called for closer attention to climate resilience, antimicrobial resistance and the governance of artificial intelligence, reflecting the need to understand how traditional medicine connects with emerging health, environmental and technological challenges.

Safety, regulation and partnerships will shape future progress

Professor Ossy Kasilo, a Tanzanian pharmacist, clinical pharmacologist and former WHO African Region adviser on traditional medicine, highlighted the importance of clear regulation for protecting patients and building public confidence. Several African countries have made progress in developing laws and institutions, yet more work is needed to enforce standards, monitor side effects, confirm product quality and strengthen cooperation between traditional healers and conventional medical professionals.

Dr Hiba Boujnah of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional, Integrative and Preventive Medicine at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin focused on the partnerships needed to turn global commitments into practical improvements. Cooperation across health, education, culture, environmental protection and research can help countries generate trustworthy evidence, protect traditional knowledge and give communities clear information when choosing care.

The Cape Town discussion showed that traditional medicine cannot be treated as a separate or marginal public health issue when so many people rely on it. Public health professionals will have a central role in helping countries introduce the WHO strategy in ways that respect cultural knowledge while protecting people from unsafe products, unsupported claims and poorly regulated practices, creating health systems that combine access, evidence, accountability and patient choice.