WHO chief: Gujarat hub to boost traditional medicines

JAMNAGAR: World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that the WHO Global Centre For Traditional Medicine (GCTM) will help harness the power of science to strength the evidence base for traditional medicines.

“Examples of traditional medicines being turned into modern medicines abound around the world, from throughout India with such products as turmeric, neem and jamun, and from indigenous communities in Brazil to the Kalahari desert. But when it comes to how these products are identified, developed, and tested, and how the benefits are shared with the communities that nurtured them — on that, there is still much work to be done,” Dr Ghebreyesus said.

He acknowledged that traditional medicine faces challenges with regulatory issues, such as the lack of systematic data and evidence, insufficient financial support for research, and not enough mechanisms to monitor the safety of traditional medicine practice.

“The contribution of traditional medicine to national health systems is not yet fully realized. GCTM will be a powerful vehicle for taking this journey forward,” he added.

Stating that for millions of people around the world, traditional medicine is the first port of call to treat many diseases, the WHO DG said the new centre will focus on evidence, data, sustainability and innovation to support national policies and optimize the use of traditional medicine for health and wellbeing all over the world.

Lauding PM Modi , he said, “From the day I spoke with him, I knew that his centre would be in good hands and that is what we are seeing. ”