Kochi:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is establishing a Global Centre for
Traditional Medicine (GCTM) at Jamnagar in the Indian state of Gujarat.
GCTM
will be the first and only global outpost centre for traditional medicine
across the world and is expected to emerge as an international hub of global
wellness.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the GCTM on April 19 in
the presence of Mauritius Prime Minister Mr. Praveen Kumar Jugnauth and WHO
Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The
new centre focuses on four main strategic areas: evidence and learning; data
and analytics; sustainability and equity; and innovation and technology to
optimize the contribution of traditional medicine to global health and
sustainable development.
Noting
the rising global demand and investment in the Ayush products, Dr Tedros said, the
whole world is coming to India and India is going to the whole world.
He
emphasized long-term investment in innovation ecosystem in health in general
and traditional medicines in particular; developing traditional medicines by
innovators, industry and government in environmentally sustainable and
equitable manner and protecting the interest of the communities that developed
these traditions. The latter should also benefit when these medicines are
brought to the market, including by sharing the fruits of intellectual
property.
“For
many millions of people around the world, traditional medicine is the first
port of call to treat many diseases,” said Dr Tedros. “Ensuring all people have
access to safe and effective treatment is an essential part of WHO’s mission,
and this new center 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.”
By
setting up the global knowledge centre for traditional medicine, supported by
an investment of USD 250 million from India Government, the WHO aims to harness
the potential of traditional medicine from across the world through modern
science and technology to improve the health of people across countries.
Around
80% of the world’s population is estimated to use traditional medicine. To
date, 170 of the 194 WHO Member States have reported the use of traditional
medicine, and their governments have asked for WHO’s support in creating a body
of reliable evidence and data on traditional medicine practices and products.
Traditional
medicine is also increasingly prominent in the world of modern science. Some
40% of approved pharmaceutical products in use today derive from natural
substances, highlighting the vital importance of conserving biodiversity and
sustainability. 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.
There
has been a rapid modernization of the ways traditional medicine is being
studied. Artificial intelligence is now used to map evidence and trends in
traditional medicine and to screen natural products for pharmacokinetic
properties. Functional magnetic resonance imaging is used to study brain
activity and the relaxation response that is part of some traditional medicine
therapies such as meditation and yoga, which are increasingly drawn on for
mental health and wellbeing in stressful times.
