Source: X/WHO
NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation has begun formally incorporating Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani (ASU) interventions into the International Classification of Health Interventions, the global standard for recording and comparing healthcare procedures. This marks a significant step toward mainstreaming traditional medicine worldwide.Momentum built at a two-day WHO technical meeting in Delhi on December 20–21 to develop intervention code sets for traditional medicine. The process follows a May Memorandum of Understanding and donor agreement between WHO and the Ministry of Ayush, under which India is providing financial and technical support to create a dedicated Traditional Medicine module within ICHI.Officials said intervention coding supplies a common language for treatments across countries. Unlike disease classifications, which identify illnesses, intervention codes capture what care is actually delivered. Integrating ASU therapies into ICHI will enable systematic recording, analysis, and comparison alongside modern medical interventions.The initiative aligns with the vision articulated by Narendra Modi, who underscored the need for standardisation to give Ayush systems global scientific credibility. Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said a dedicated ICHI module would advance WHO’s goal of inclusive, safe, and evidence-based healthcare while enhancing global visibility for Indian systems.Chaired by Kavita Garg, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, the sessions brought together heads of the three central research councils—CCRAS, CCRS, and CCRUM—along with classification experts from WHO headquarters, the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre in Jamnagar, and the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office in Delhi. Delegates from all six WHO regions and member states, including Bhutan, Brazil, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Mauritius, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, the UK, and the US, participated.Health officials said the project will follow strict scientific timelines. Once completed, the new code sets are expected to strengthen clinical research, support evidence-based policy, and embed traditional medicine within national health information systems—signalling a shift from parallel practice to formal global integration.