Ayush ministry signs agreement with WHO for global centre of traditional medicine

New Delhi, March 26 (IANS) The Ministry of Ayush has signed a Host Country Agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) for establishing a WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar in India, with its interim office at the Institute of Training and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) in Gujarat.

The Centre will be supported by an investment of about USD 250 million from the Government of India. The primary objective of GCTM is to harness the potential of traditional medicine from across the world through modern science and technology and improve the overall health of communities' the world over.

The agreement was signed in Geneva by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush and Director General, WHO Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on March 25.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his message to the event said, "It is heartening to learn about the signing agreement for the establishment of Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. Through various initiatives, our government has been tireless in its endeavour to make preventive and curative healthcare, affordable and accessible to all. The global centre at Jamnagar will help in providing the best healthcare solutions to the world."

Ayush Minister Sarbanand Sonowal said that his Ministry was able to get this due to the initiative and efforts of our illustrious Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added that the Centre will bring far-reaching benefits to traditional medicine systems around the world. He informed that the Centre will bring availability of a better system to connect with the latest scientific methods.

Highlighting the importance of the Indian government's initiative, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said that harnessing the potential of traditional medicine by drawing on modern science and the principles of equity and sustainability will be a game changer for health in the 21st century.

The GCTM will be the first and only Global Centre for traditional medicine across the world. It 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. The WHO-GCTM is designed to engage and benefit all the regions of the world.