- Web Master
- September 08, 2023
By Narinjara Correspondent
Guwahati: India’s Union Ayush ministry has signed the host country agreement with World Health
Organization for establishing WHO Global Centre
for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar of Gujarat. This unique centre, presently scheduled to function
from the campus of Ayurveda institute of training & research in western India, will be supported by an investment of around USD 250 million from the
Union government in New Delhi.
“The primary objective of GCTM is to harness the potential
of traditional medicine from
across the world through modern science and
technology and to improve overall health of the communities’ worldwide,”
said Ayush minister Sarbananda Sonowal terming it as an outstanding achievement of the people of India. Sonowal, also in charge of Union ports, shipping &
waterways ministry, lauded Prime Minister
Narendra Modi for his untiring effort towards establishment of the global centre.
The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled to take place on
21 April 2022 in the
presence of PM Modi. The agreement was signed on 25 March last in the Swish city of Geneva by WHO
director general Dr Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus and Ayush ministry’s secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha. Earlier, the Indian Union cabinet approved the
establishment of the centre, which
is designed to engage and benefit all the regions in the world.
“It is heartening to learn about the signing agreement for
the establishment of GCTM. Through
various initiatives, our government has been
tireless in its endeavour to make preventive and curative healthcare, affordable and accessible
to all. The Jamnagar global centre
will help in providing the best healthcare solutions to the world,” said Modi in his message.
Highlighting the importance of New Delhi’s initiative, WHO
director general Dr Tedros
commented that harnessing the potential of
traditional medicine by drawing on modern science and principles of equity and sustainability will be a
game changer for health in the 21st
century. GCTM will be the first and only global centre (office) for traditional medicine across the
world, he added.
The centre will focus on building a solid evidence base for
policies and standards on traditional
medicine practices and products and help countries
integrate it as appropriate into their health systems and regulate its quality and safety for
optimal and sustainable impact. It is
expected to bring far-reaching benefits and reputation to traditional medicine systems around the
world. Moreover, the initiative
would go a long way in helping the whole of humanity to get affordable and reliable health services.
Traditional medicine is a key pillar of health care delivery systems and it plays a crucial role in maintaining good health and well-being not only in India, but across the world. Indian people continue adopting and promoting various traditional medicinal practices like Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy, Naturopathy, Sowa Rigpa, etc. In recent years, traditional medicine therapies have seen a major transformation as usage of artificial intelligence and technological innovations has made it more accessible to masses.