WHO Promotes Traditional Medicine for Healthcare

Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO’s South-East Asia Regional Director, emphasized the potential of traditional medicine to enhance health care and wellness. She highlighted WHO’s collaboration with member countries to strengthen vigilance, research, training, and practices in various traditional medicine systems.

To ensure product efficacy, WHO developed shared regional research guidelines. Dr. Khetrapal noted that countries in the region are leading the global trend toward traditional and complementary medicine, aligned with achieving national, regional, and global health objectives.

Although progress is strong, Dr. Khetrapal acknowledged the need for greater integration of safe and effective traditional medicine into health systems. Evidence-based approaches are essential to harmonize traditional medicine alongside modern methods.

Dr. Khetrapal identified the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Center and an upcoming traditional medicine summit as pivotal for accelerating efforts to harness traditional medicine’s potential for comprehensive health coverage.

The Traditional Medicine Global Summit, set for August 17-18, 2023, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, will be convened by WHO. Hosted alongside the Government of India, the summit aims to explore the role of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine in tackling critical health challenges and advancing global health and sustainability.

Key attendees include WHO’s Director-General, Regional Directors, G20 health ministers, and representatives from various countries and sectors. The summit will facilitate engagement among scientists, traditional medicine practitioners, healthcare workers, and civil society members.

Dr. Khetrapal’s advocacy underscores the ongoing shift towards embracing traditional medicine’s potential in delivering comprehensive healthcare solutions.
Re-reported from the article originally published in ANI