UNESCO GUIDELINES FOR ACTION TM - Integration through regulation

Integration through regulation 

Proper regulation of traditional medicine is essential if it is to become part of the general health-

system framework; this is both a national and an international objective. Numerous – but

sometimes incoherent – policies and regulatory measures have been introduced at the national

level.

A number of statutory measures relating to research might be used to create a framework for

traditional medicine. Countries could introduce national

policies with a view to drafting laws and

regulations bringing in the statutory and legal provisions needed to regulate practice of traditional

medicine. Health ministries and other national or local bodies could also implement programmes

for specific purposes, such as supporting specialist research institutions. Fields in absolute need of

regulation include the following: protection of individuals; patient confidentiality regarding the

patient’s state of health and information given to hi

s or her therapist; informed consent for clinical

trials and research; protection of patients again

st prejudice (e.g. HIV-positive people, people with

other STDs, leprosy patients); respect for the dead; respect for ownership rights and intellectual

property; adequate compensation (practitioners’

remuneration, damages for malpractice);

promotion of regeneration and conservation of national resources.

This work must be stepped up internationally, including through the development and promotion of

global, or at least regional, networks of regulat

ory bodies. International Regulatory Cooperation on

Herbal Medicines, a network established in 2006, is one example of a shared commitment to

protecting and promoting public health in the most lucrative field of traditional medicine. It is

essential that such initiatives for international cooperation be based on respect for local cultures

and sensitivities while avoiding any pressure fr

om specific interests or economic power. All

stakeholders should be involved in setting the agenda in this field, and regulatory bodies and

special committees should always include tradi

tional-medicine specialists and practitioners on an

equal footing.

The lack of precision in definitions and regulations is often a source of suspicion and distrust.

Potential customers and patients surfing the Internet have easy access to treatments that are

authorized and paid for by national health services in some countries but are illegal in others, as

well as to herbal products that may be regarded as either medicines or dietary supplements, or

even just foodstuffs.