WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement in a video message at an event where Prime Minister Modi inaugurated two future-ready Ayurveda institutions in Jaipur and Jamnagar.
The World Health Organization announced Friday that it will establish a Global Center for Traditional Medicine in India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that, just as the country has emerged as the ‘pharmacy of the world’, the institution WHO will become the global wellness center.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement in a video message at an event where Prime Minister Modi dedicated two future-ready Ayurveda institutions in Jaipur and Jamnagar to the nation via video conference with reason for the fifth day of Ayurveda.
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The Institute for Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar (Gujarat) and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur (Rajasthan) are the leading Ayurveda institutions in the country.
The Jamnagar institute has received the status of Institution of National Importance (INI) by an act of Parliament and the Jaipur institute has been designated Institution Considered University (De novo Category) by the University Scholarship Commission (UGC). according to the AYUSH ministry.
In his video message, Mr. Ghebreyesus said: “I am pleased to announce that we have agreed to open a WHO World Center for Traditional Medicine in India to strengthen the evidence, research, training and knowledge of traditional medicine and complementary “.
“This new center will support WHO’s efforts to implement the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023, which aims to help countries develop policies and action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine as part of your path to universal health coverage and healthier and fairer health coverage. and a safer world, “he said.
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Traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda can play an important role in people-centered integrated health care and health services, but they have not received enough attention, said the WHO Director-General.
Mr. Ghebreyesus also commended Prime Minister Modi for his commitment to universal coverage under Ayushman Bharat and the evidence-based promotion of traditional medicines to achieve health-related goals.
Modi said that Ayurveda is the heritage of India whose expansion involves the well-being of humanity and that all Indians will be happy to see that the traditional knowledge of the country is enriching other countries.
“It is a source of pride for all Indians that the WHO has chosen India to establish its Global Center for Traditional Medicine. Now work will be done in this direction from India, ”Modi said.
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“I would like to thank WHO and in particular its Director General Tedros for giving this responsibility to India. I am confident that, just as India has become the world’s pharmacy, in the same way, this traditional medicine center will become the global wellness center, ”he said.
Emphasizing on drawing Ayurveda knowledge from books, scriptures and home remedies and developing this ancient knowledge according to modern needs, Modi said that new research is being conducted in the country combining information received from modern 21st century science with ancient medicine. from India. knowledge.
Noting that three years ago, the All India Ayurvedic Institute was established here, he said that Ayurveda is not just an alternative today, but one of the key foundations of the country’s health policy.
Mr. Modi reported that work is underway to develop the National Sowa-Rigpa Institute for research and other studies related to Sowa-Rigpa in Leh. The two institutions in Gujarat and Rajasthan that have been upgraded are also an extension of this development, he added.
Congratulating the two institutes for their improvement, the Prime Minister noted that they now have more responsibility and hopes that they will prepare a study program for Ayurveda that meets international standards.
He also called on the Ministry of Education and UGC to find new avenues in disciplines such as Ayurveda Physics and Ayurveda Chemistry.
Mr. Modi also urged startups and the private sector to study global trends and demands and ensure their participation in the sector.
Noting that during the coronavirus period, demand for Ayurvedic products increased rapidly around the world, he said that exports of Ayurvedic products increased by around 45 percent in September this year compared to the previous year.
He said that the significant increase in the export of spices such as turmeric and ginger, considered as immunity boosters, shows the sudden increase in confidence in Ayurvedic solutions and Indian spices in the world.
In many countries, turmeric-related beverages are also on the rise, and the world’s prestigious medical journals are also seeing new hope in Ayurveda, he noted.
Modi said that during the coronavirus period, the focus was not only limited to the use of Ayurveda alone, but also to AYUSH-related research in the country and the world.
“On the one hand, India is testing vaccines, on the other, it is also increasing international cooperation in Ayurvedic research to combat COVID,” he said.
Mr. Modi noted that investigations are being conducted in more than 100 locations, including the Indian Ayurveda Institute in Delhi, which has conducted immunity-related investigations on 80,000 Delhi police personnel.
“It may be the largest cluster study in the world and there are encouraging results,” he said.
“Some more international trials will begin,” he added.
He also highlighted that the prices of Ayurvedic herbs such as Ashwagandha, Giloy, Tulsi have risen amid the pandemic.
Ashwagandha’s price has more than doubled compared to last year and its direct benefit is reaching farmers, he said.
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