WHO to set up centre for traditional medicine in India

The World Health Organisation announced on Friday that it will set up a Global Center for Traditional Medicine in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that just like the country has emerged as the ‘pharmacy of the world’, the WHO institution will become the centre for global wellness.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement in a video message at an event in which Prime Minister Modi inaugurated two future-ready Ayurveda institutions in Jaipur and Jamnanagar via video conferencing on the occasion of fifth Ayurveda Day.

Since 2016, the Ministry of AYUSH has been observing Ayurveda Day every year on the occasion Dhanteras.

The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar (Gujarat) and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur (Rajasthan) are both premier institutions of Ayurveda in the country.

The Prime Minister said that the center for traditional medicine will become the centre for global wellness. “”This new centre will support WHO’s efforts to implement the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014-2023 which aims to support countries in developing policies and action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine as part of their journey to universal health coverage and a healthier, fairer and safer world,” he said.