In a significant step toward globalizing India’s traditional healing systems, the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a dedicated Traditional Medicine module within the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI).
India signed the MoU with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on May 24.
The agreement aims to integrate traditional Indian practices- such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, and Unani- into WHO’s international health intervention classification system.
“This initiative will ensure that systems like AYUSH and other Indian traditional healing methods gain greater international recognition,” PMO said in a post on X, adding that the effort will focus on scientific validation of these practices to enhance their credibility and acceptance worldwide.
The ICHI system, which complements WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), enables systematic documentation and coding of medical treatments and interventions.
The new module will formally recognise therapies like Panchakarma, Yoga therapy, Unani regimens, and Siddha procedures in globally standardised terms.
By incorporating traditional medicine into ICHI, WHO and India aim to establish a unified language and methodology for documenting and evaluating such interventions within mainstream healthcare systems.
According to the Ayush Ministry, the benefits of this initiative include improved billing and pricing mechanisms, better integration of Ayush services into health insurance frameworks, streamlined hospital administration, enhanced clinical documentation, and stronger foundations for health research.
Notably, the module will support global access to Ayush interventions and position traditional Indian medicine as an evidence-based component of international healthcare systems.
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WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X, “Pleased to sign an agreement for a $3 million contribution from #India to @WHO’s work on traditional medicine and the International Classification of Health Interventions, with @moAyush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha. We welcome India’s continued commitment to #HealthForAll.”
