India privileged to be WHO's global centre for traditional medicine: PM Modi

The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine's interim office will be located in Gujarat at the Institute of Training and Research in Ayurveda.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stated that India is honoured to be home to the World Health Organisation's Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. A day prior, the ministry of Ayush signed an agreement with the WHO to establish the WHO Global Centre for the Traditional Medicine in India at Jamnagar, Gujarat. Its interim headquarters will be at the Institute of Training and Research in Ayurveda in Gujarat.

PM Modi tweeted and said that the centre would contribute towards making a healthier planet and leveraging India's rich traditional practices for global good.

Another tweet read that India's traditional medicines and wellness practices are very popular internationally. The centre will go a long way in enhancing wellness in our society.

As per the ministry of Ayush, the centre's primary purpose will be to harness the potential of traditional medicine from across the world via modern science and technology to improve the overall health of communities around the globe. 

Following the WHO, around 80 per cent of the world's population is calculated to use traditional medicine. 

Traditional medicine is the first line of treatment for many millions of people worldwide, stated the WHO's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He added that ensuring everyone has access to safe and effective treatment is important for WHO's mission. This new centre will help harness the power of science to strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine. He further thanked the Government of India for its assistance and looked forward to making it a success.