According to AYUSH Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotech, India is gradually moving towards a more integrated and collaborative approach between modern and traditional systems of medicine, rather than forcing a sudden or complete merger.
The top official of the Union Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy, known as AYUSH, spoke exclusively to The Hindu about the second World Health Organization (WHO) Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, organized jointly with the Government of India.
The summit began on Wednesday and brought together ministers, scientists, indigenous leaders and experts from more than 100 countries.
A rational approach
In discussing the integration of therapies, the Secretary said the emphasis is on a rational approach where each system contributes according to its strengths, supported by scientific evidence and appropriate regulatory safeguards.
“In education and practice, we focus on interdisciplinary exposure, collaborative research and recommendation-based care models, especially at the primary health service level,” he said, adding that the summit provides an important platform to discuss global experiences, share best practices and reflect on how integration can be done in a way that improves patient safety, clinical outcomes and health system resilience.
The summit is expected to announce major scientific initiatives and new commitments to advance the implementation of the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025-2034, focused on stronger evidence, better regulation, systems integration, collaboration and community engagement.
Strengthening the evidence base
Mr. Kotecha also explained the major agendas of India during the event. “The summit is an opportunity to engage constructively with the global community on strengthening the evidence base, governance and integration of traditional medicine. A key focus will be sharing Indian experiences in institutional frameworks for education, research, regulation and service delivery across multiple systems,” he said.
India is also expected to emphasize the importance of biodiversity conservation, ethical use of medicinal resources and protection of traditional knowledge. Another important agenda is to contribute to global discussions on regulatory harmonisation, quality assurance and capacity building, especially for countries seeking to integrate traditional medicine into their primary health care systems in a safe and structured way.
While the main focus of the summit is not commercial expansion, discussions on investment, financing and international cooperation are also integral to strengthening research, education and innovation in traditional medicine, the secretary noted.
“India views global engagement as an opportunity for knowledge exchange, collaborative research and capacity building rather than unilateral expansion. Any international growth of India’s systems of medicine is expected to be evidence-based, demand-driven and in compliance with national regulations of partner countries as well as WHO guidelines on safety, quality and efficacy,” he said.
Published – 17 Dec 2025 20:50 IST
