India partners with WHO to mainstream Ayush globally through an agreement

In a landmark development poised to transform the global standing of traditional medicine systems, an agreement has been signed between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The agreement inked on Saturday marks the beginning of work on a dedicated Traditional Medicine module under the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI), the Ayush Ministry said in a statement.

Highlighting the significance of this achievement during the 122nd episode of Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said,*Friends, something has happened in the field of Ayurveda... Just yesterday, i.e. on 24th May, an MoU was signed in the presence of WHO Director General and my friend Tulsi Bhai."  "Along with this agreement, work has started on a dedicated traditional medicine module under the International Classification of Health Interventions. This initiative will help in making Ayush reach maximum number of people across the world in a scientific manner," he added.

The ICHI, complementing the WHO's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), documents what treatments and health interventions are administered.

With the inclusion of a traditional medicine module, therapies from Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha and Unani systems such as Panchakarma, Yoga therapy, Unani regimens and Siddha procedures will now be recognized in globally standardized terms, the ministry statement said.

This will bring about multiple benefits such as transparent billing and fair pricing for Ayush services, smoother integration of Ayush treatments in health insurance coverage and enhanced hospital management, clinical documentation and health research.

Most importantly, it will lead to greater global accessibility to Ayush interventions.

This development aligns with India's vision of bringing its rich heritage of traditional wisdom into the global healthcare mainstream, backed by scientific classification and international standards, the statement said.

Welcoming the agreement, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, "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 India's continued commitment to #HealthForAll."  The combined impact of ICD-11 for diseases and the new ICHI module for interventions will ensure that Ayush becomes an integral, evidence-based, and policy-recognized part of global healthcare systems, the statement said.

This is more than a coding update, it is a transformative step toward affordable, accessible and trusted healthcare through India's traditional systems, it stated.