Thursday, March 28th 2024

WHO global centre coming up in India



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.

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