“The main outcomes of the global summit will be soon released by World Health Organisation in the form of Gujarat declaration,” Union Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal said. The Minister was speaking with respect to the first WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit that took place on August 17 and 18, 2023, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, coinciding with the G20 health ministerial meeting.
“The World Health Organization Global Summit signifies increased role of India in the field of Traditional Medicine,” Union Minister Sonowal said. He noted that the ever first Global Summit organised by WHO, and co-hosted by Ministry of Ayush, has proved to be historic in many ways. He said that in the summit, WHO has shared the initial findings of the global survey on Traditional Medicine that clearly indicates that the reach of Traditional Medicine is on rise across the globe. As per WHO the final survey will be released in November this Year”. He added that the initial findings from the survey indicate that among the 157 WHO member states, 97 possess National Policies related to Traditional Medicine.
“Gujarat Declaration will emphasise that the importance of Traditional Medicine is recognised for attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and WHO’s commitment to work toward it through evidence generation and policy support to member states”, the Minister reiterated.
Union Minister Sonowal elaborated on the Ministry of Ayush’s endeavors to enhance and broaden the influence of Indian Traditional Medicine Systems. He also mentioned the success of five bilateral meetings with Nepal, Malaysia, Qatar, Venezuela, and Cuba. The Minister informed that India has extended invitations to the participating nations in these meetings to exchange best practices and capitalize on India’s advancements in the realm of Traditional Medicine. These bilateral discussions have facilitated the revitalization of relationships and the exploration of diverse ventures related to research, practices, education, and training in the field of Ayurveda and other Traditional Medicine systems.
The Union Minister also talked about emerging fields in Traditional Medicine and said, “Digital Health Services are in demand globally, and there is tremendous potential in Traditional Medicine to provide evidence based health services to the entire mankind These were discussed in detail in this Summit and in coming days lot of important work will happen through Global Centre of Traditional Medicine of Jamnagar.”
The Union Minister emphasized the importance of the Summit by highlighting that its results will not only influence the direction of the Global Centre of Traditional Medicine but will also have an impact on the WHO’s strategic plan for Traditional Medicine from 2025 to 2034.