Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO) have signed a pivotal agreement to initiate work on a dedicated Traditional Medicine module under the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI). This marks a significant stride toward the global integration of Ayush systems—Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and others—into standardized global healthcare frameworks.
The agreement was signed in the presence of WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and senior Indian officials including Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, involves a $3 million contribution from India to support WHO’s work on traditional medicine and the ICHI system.
The ICHI, designed to complement WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), provides a unified system for documenting medical procedures and health interventions worldwide. With the inclusion of a traditional medicine module, interventions such as Panchakarma, Yoga therapy, Unani regimens, and Siddha procedures will be classified using globally recognized, evidence-based terminology.
Experts and officials expect this development to drive multiple benefits:
- Transparent billing and pricing for Ayush services across clinical settings
- Facilitated integration with health insurance schemes, enabling broader coverage
- Improved clinical documentation and hospital management
- Accelerated research and policy formulation for traditional medicine
- Enhanced global accessibility to scientifically recognized Ayush therapies
Dr. Tedros, taking to social media, welcomed the agreement and said, ‘Pleased to sign an agreement for a $3 million contribution from #India to @WHO’s work on traditional medicine and the International Classification of Health Interventions, with @moAyush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha. We welcome 🇮🇳’s continued commitment to #HealthForAll.’
The move is expected to accelerate the mainstreaming of Ayush systems within global healthcare and strengthen India’s leadership in promoting affordable, accessible, and holistic health solutions. With the combined power of ICD-11 for disease classification and ICHI for health interventions, traditional Indian systems are poised to become a recognized, evidence-backed part of modern medicine on the world stage.
