International Conference on
Traditional Medicine
Dr Samlee Plianbangchang
Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia
12–14 February 2013, New Delhi
On behalf of WHO, I warmly welcome you all to the
International Conference on Traditional Medicine. I thank the Government
of India, in particular, the Department of AYUSH (Department of
Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy), for
organizing this important meeting. AYUSH has taken a leading role in
integrating the many diverse Indian traditional medical practices as an
important component of the national health care system.
Distinguished participants, in spite of advancement in modern
medicine, traditional medical practices are still flourishing today. We
are fortunate that so many traditional medical practices have survived
and evolved over the centuries. Traditional medicine has played an
important role, and still continues to do so in contributing to
improving and maintaining the well-being of millions of people around
the world.
Despite the tremendous advances in modern medicine, almost 80%
of the people in rural areas of many countries resort to some kind of
traditional medicine for their health-care needs. Recognizing this
importance, since 1977 the World Health Organization has been supporting
Member States to further develop their traditional medicine and promote
its use in their national health care systems. Given the long history
of traditional medicine in the South-East Asia Region, special attention
has always been paid to its further development.
In 2003 at their annual meeting, health ministers of countries
in the Region reaffirmed their commitment to the use of traditional
medicine (TM) in national health care systems. The WHO Regional
Committee for South-East Asia, in the same year, passed a resolution
providing a strategic direction for the development of TM to enhance its
quality, efficacy and safety. In 2005, a WHO Regional meeting on the
“Development of traditional medicine” in the South-East Asia Region was
held and, in 2009, a WHO Regional meeting on the “Use of Herbal Medicine
in Primary Health Care” was organized.
In the development of traditional medicine, we may focus our attention on the following areas:
- Assurance of its safety, efficacy and quality.
- Integration of the use of traditional medicine into national health care systems, especially at primary health care level.
- Exchange of information on traditional medical practices among countries.
- Pursuance of research efforts in TM to further improve its therapeutic effects.
A set of guidelines on the regulation of TM in the South-East
Asia Region was published in 2004. This regulation is to help in
evaluation of its safety, efficacy and quality. A monograph on the use
of herbal medicines in primary health care was also prepared. The WHO
Regional Office for South-East Asia launched the HerbalNet web site some
years ago. This web site is a resource for intellectual materials on TM
which is accessible not only to the collaborating institutes in the
South-East Asia Region but also to interested parties from all parts of
the world.
Distinguished participants, the Sixty-first World Health
Assembly, in 2008, adopted the “Global Strategy and Plan of Action on
Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property”.
Among others, the
strategy also encourages and promotes policies on innovation and
standard settings to ensure quality, safety and efficacy of TM.
Another
key component of this Global Strategy is to promote South–South
collaboration in TM.
The WHO Congress on TM, held in Beijing in 2008,
emphasized its crucial importance in health care. The Congress called on
all governments to develop national policies on its regulations and
standards. The Congress also encouraged research-based approaches to
further development of TM.
Ladies and gentlemen, herbal plants are popularly used in TM;
these plants are easily grown and readily made available at affordable
cost, especially in rural areas. The rural poor largely depend on herbal
plants for their health care. Herbal plants, if properly prepared, can
be used as effective products for health promotion and health
protection. At the same time, many forms of herbal products which are
available today are used as food supplements. Strict regulation and
standardization are also needed for this type of the use, and their
costs need to be properly controlled.
Ladies and gentlemen, with these words, I wish you all fruitful deliberations. I wish the Conference all success. Thank you.
http://www.searo.who.int/regional_director/speeches/2013/12_feb_2013/en/index.html
