Traditional medicine sector growing and gaining global attention

Traditional medicine sector growing and gaining global attention

Subject :Science and Technology

Context:

• Underlining that the sector of traditional medicine is expanding continuously, Prime Minister Modi recently urged the stakeholders to take full advantage of every possibility unfolding in the sector.

More about the news:

• At the valedictory function of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated three national Ayush institutes —
  • All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa,
  • National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM), Ghaziabad.
  • National Institute of Homeopathy (NIH) in Delhi and Panaji.
• The Prime Minister said more than 30 countries of the world have given recognition to Ayurveda as a traditional system of medicine.

What is World Ayurveda Congress:

• The World Ayurveda Congress is a platform established by the World Ayurveda Foundation to propagate Ayurveda globally in its true sense.
• The theme of the 9th edition of WAC is “Ayurveda for One Health”. 
• It was held at Panjim, Goa.
• The first World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) was held in 2002 at Kochi as an outreach
• The subsequent Congresses organized at Pune, Jaipur, Bangalore, Bhopal, Delhi, Kolkata & Ahmedabad
• Previous themes at the Congress have included “Ayurveda and World Health”, “Globalization of Ayurveda”, “Mainstreaming Ayurveda”, “Ayurveda for All”, “Enriching Public Health Through Ayurveda”, “Health Challenges and Ayurveda”, “Strengthening the Ayurveda Ecosystem” and “Re-aligning the Focus on Health”.

What is World Ayurveda Foundation:

• The World Ayurveda Foundation was founded in 2011 as an initiative by Vijnana Bharati aimed at global propagation of Ayurveda.
• As part of a larger intellectual movement under the aegis of the Swadeshi Science Movement undertaken by Vijnana Bharati, WAF is a platform that would take Ayurveda to the world for all the benefits mankind can draw from traditional health sciences.

What is  Traditional Medicines:

• According to the WHO, traditional medicine is the total sum of the “knowledge, skills and practices indigenous and different cultures have used over time to maintain health and prevent, diagnose and treat physical and mental illness”.
• Traditional Indian medicine is one of the oldest medical sciences in the world. India has been known to be a rich repository of medicinal plants.
• About 8,000 herbal remedies have been codified in AYUSH systems in India.
• Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Folk medicines are the major systems of indigenous medicines

What are the steps taken by Central government to promote Traditional Medicine sector:

• In 2014, the Union government established the Ministry of AYUSH, a separate ministry dedicated to traditional medicine and treatment.
• The Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had launched the National AYUSH Mission (NAM)during the 12th Plan.
• The basic objective of NAM is to promote:-
  • AYUSH medical systems through cost effective AYUSH services, strengthening of educational systems,
  • Facilitate the enforcement of quality control of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani & Homoeopathy (ASU &H) drugs.
  • Sustainable availability of ASU & H raw-materials.
  • The new category ‘AYUSH Aahar’ introduced by the FSSAI in its regulations will help the producers of herbal nutritional supplements.
  • The AYUSH Export Promotion Council has been set up recently to encourage exports and help find foreign markets.
  • The government is going to create a network of AYUSH Parks to encourage research and provide a new direction to AYUSH manufacturing.
  • An incubation center developed by the All-India Institute of Ayurveda was inaugurated by the Ministry of AYUSH. This will encourage start-up culture in the field of traditional medicine.
  • The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) was established in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

What is WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine(GCTM)

• GCTM will be the first and only global outpostcentre for traditional medicine across the world.
• It will emerge as an international hub of global wellness.
• The New Centre will focus on data, innovation, and sustainability and will optimize the use of traditional medications.
• The GCTM will support efforts to implement the WHO’s Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014-23).
• The centersfive main areas will be:
  • Research and leadership
  • Evidence and learning
  • Data and analytics
  • Sustainability
  • Equity and innovation and technology