India and Germany advanced collaboration in traditional and integrative healthcare at the third Joint Working Group (JWG) Meeting on Alternative Medicine between the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, and the Federal Ministry of Health, Germany, held from November 18 to 20 in Berlin.
The Indian delegation led by Ministry of Ayush Joint Secretary Monalisha Dash included Prof. (Dr.) Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS; Dr. Subhash Kaushik, Director General, CCRH; Dr. Koustabha Upadhyay, Adviser, Ministry of Ayush; and Dr. Kashinath Samagandi, Director, MDNY. The delegation engaged with leading German institutions to further concrete avenues of collaboration. The German officials included Paul Zubeil, Head of Division European and International Health Policy, German Ministry of Health; Prof. Dr. med. Georg Seifert, Head of Competence Center for Traditional and Integrative Medicine, Charité Berlin; Andrea Galle, CEO, BKK mkk (statutory health insurance fund) and Dr. Jaqueline Wiesner, Head of Department for Vitamins, minerals, special therapeutic approaches, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM).
The discussions centred on three key pillars—integrating traditional medicine into public health systems, establishing reimbursement pathways for patient access, and strengthening regulatory approval mechanisms.
The key engagements included:
- Competence Center for Traditional and Integrative Medicine, Charité University, to explore collaborative research opportunities and advance the proposed MoU with the Ministry of Ayush.
- Community Hospital Havelhöhe – Clinic for Anthroposophic Medicine, reviewing integrative care and research practices and
- Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) for detailed discussions on insurance and reimbursement mechanisms relevant to traditional medicine.
