In a first, India to have a WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Gujarat's Jamnagar

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the government of India signed an agreement on 25 March, 2022, to establish a WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar, Gujarat. The centre, supported by a $250 million investment from the Indian government, aims to build a solid evidence base for policies and standards on traditional medical practices and products.

This would be the first and only global outposted Centre (office) for traditional medicine across the globe.

On Friday night, the WHO issued a statement announcing the development. The Centre will be officially opened on 21 April, 2022.

This global knowledge centre for traditional medicine aims to harness the potential of traditional medicine from around the world through modern science and technology to improve people's and the planet's health, WHO said.

The new WHO centre will be established in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India. While Jamnagar will serve as the hub, the new centre is being designed to engage and benefit all regions of the world.

"For many millions of people around the world, traditional medicine is the first port of call to treat many diseases," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

"Ensuring all people have access to safe and effective treatment is an essential part of WHO's mission, and this new centre will help to harness the power of science to strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine. I'm grateful to the Government of India for its support, and we look forward to making it a success," added WHO chief.

Traditional medicine is believed to be used by approximately 80 per cent of the world's population.

To date, 170 of the 194 WHO Member States have reported using traditional medicine, and their governments have requested WHO support in creating a body of reliable evidence and data on traditional medicine practices and products.

National health systems and strategies do not yet fully integrate the millions of traditional medicine workers, accredited courses, health facilities, and health expenditures.

Nearly 40 per cent of approved pharmaceutical products in use today derive from natural substances. For example, the discovery of aspirin drew on traditional medicine formulations using the bark of the willow tree, the contraceptive pill was developed from the roots of wild yam plants and child cancer treatments have been based on the rosy periwinkle. Nobel-prize winning research on artemisinin for malaria control started with a review of ancient Chinese medicine texts.

"It is heartening to learn about the signing of the Host Country Agreement for the establishment of Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM). The agreement between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO) to establish the WHO-GCTM at Jamnagar, Gujarat, is a commendable initiative," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Through various initiatives, our government has been tireless in its endeavour to make preventive and curative healthcare, affordable and accessible to all. May the global centre at Jamnagar help in providing the best healthcare solutions to the world", added PM Modi.

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