The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, and the World Health Organization (WHO) have signed a Donor Agreement to bolster the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The signing ceremony took place at WHO Headquarters in Geneva on July 31, 2024. The agreement was signed by H.E. Mr. Arindam Bagchi, Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Geneva, and Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage and Life Course, representing WHO.
Under the agreement, India will donate US$ 85 million over a decade (2022-2032) to support the GTMC’s operations. This centre is envisioned as a pivotal knowledge hub for evidence-based Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (TCIM), promoting global health and well-being.
The establishment of the GTMC was formalized through a Host Country Agreement signed on March 25, 2022, marking it as the first and only global out-posted centre for traditional medicine. The interim office is already operational, focusing on capacity-building and training programs, in collaboration with the WHO Academy and other strategic partners.
The Ministry of Ayush has partnered with WHO on multiple fronts, including creating benchmark documents for Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha systems, developing WHO terminology for these practices, and introducing modules in the International Classification of Diseases-11. Other initiatives include apps like M-Yoga and the International Pharmacopoeia of Herbal Medicine (IPHM).
This collaboration aims to position traditional medicine prominently on the global stage, contributing significantly to the global health agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals through traditional medicine.
