Excellencies, Honorable Ministers, Distinguished Colleagues,
In WHO South-East Asia, traditional medicine is deeply embedded in people’s lives. Over three-quarters of the population rely on it for health care, particularly at the primary care level.
Over the past decade, the WHO South-East Asia Region has made steady progress in positioning traditional medicine as a contributor to Universal Health Coverage.
Today, nearly all Member States in South-East Asia have national policies, dedicated institutions, and regulatory mechanisms for traditional and complementary medicine. Several countries have moved beyond policy to routine service delivery, particularly at the primary health-care level.
Countries are increasingly embedding traditional medicine within public health systems.
India has expanded AYUSH services across government facilities and strengthened national pharmacovigilance systems for traditional medicine products.
Thailand has included Thai Traditional Medicine in its national health insurance benefit package.
In DPR Korea, traditional medicine is functionally integrated into primary health care, with practitioners trained in both traditional and biomedical systems. Across the Region, countries are strengthening education, licensing, and accreditation to ensure workforce quality and patient safety.
On evidence and standards, the Region has played a decisive role globally. The inclusion of Traditional Medicine Conditions in ICD-11 is now enabling systematic data collection and research for codified systems such as Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani. Countries are beginning to align health information systems and research agendas to make use of this new classification.
On knowledge protection and innovation, the establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar marks a major milestone. The Centre is now supporting work on research methodologies, digital health applications, artificial intelligence, and protection of traditional knowledge—responding directly to priorities identified by Member States.
Looking ahead, the Regional Plan, aligned with the upcoming WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034—will focus on three areas where countries have asked for support:
Strengthening the evidence base using fit-for-purpose research approaches.
Enhancing regulation and quality assurance for products and practices; and
Accelerating safe and effective integration of traditional medicine into primary health care and UHC benefit packages.
Excellencies, the Region has moved from recognition to action. The progress achieved provides a strong foundation.
Our next phase is about consolidation, scale-up, and impact—so that traditional medicine contributes reliably, safely, and equitably to health systems and to Universal Health Coverage. Thank you.