WHO Explores Role of Traditional Medicine in Global Health

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is launching a major conference on traditional medicine, highlighting the potential of new technologies like Artificial Intelligence to validate centuries-old healing practices. The three-day meeting in New Delhi aims to explore how governments can regulate traditional medicine while leveraging scientific tools to verify safe and effective treatments.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the growing demand for traditional medicine globally, stating, “Traditional medicine is not a thing of the past.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a long-time advocate for traditional health practices, echoed this sentiment, saying the summit will “intensify efforts to harness” traditional medicine’s potential.

According to Shyama Kurvilla, head of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, reliance on traditional remedies is a global reality, with 40-90% of populations in 90% of WHO member states using them. “With half the world’s population lacking access to essential health services, traditional medicine is often the closest – or only care – available for many people,” she said.

The WHO defines traditional medicines as accumulated knowledge, skills, and practices used to maintain health and prevent, diagnose, and treat physical and mental illness. However, many lack proven scientific value, and conservationists warn that demand for certain products drives wildlife trafficking.

The WHO aims to help countries ensure traditional medicine is safe, evidence-informed, and integrated into modern healthcare systems. The conference will examine ways to balance traditional practices with scientific scrutiny, making ancestral healing more compatible with modern healthcare.