In a major move toward global recognition of India's traditional medicine systems, the Ministry of Ayush has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Health Organization to develop a dedicated module for traditional Indian medicine within the International Classification of Health Interventions.

The agreement, signed on Saturday, aims to formally include ancient Indian practices such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, and Unani in WHO's international system for documenting health interventions. This step is expected to help standardize these therapies and promote them globally.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the development during the 122nd episode of Mann Ki Baat on Sunday. "Something significant has happened in the field of Ayurveda. Just yesterday, on May 24, an MoU was signed in the presence of the WHO Director-General and my friend Tulsi Bhai," he said. "With this agreement, work has begun on a dedicated traditional medicine module under the International Classification of Health Interventions. This initiative will help Ayush reach more people globally in a scientific manner."

The ICHI system complements WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and is designed to systematically record and classify health treatments and interventions. The inclusion of traditional Indian medicine in this framework will provide formal global recognition for therapies such as Panchakarma, Yoga therapy, Unani regimens, and Siddha procedures.

According to the Ayush Ministry, this initiative will offer multiple benefits. These include improved billing and pricing mechanisms, better integration of Ayush services into health insurance systems, more efficient hospital administration, enhanced clinical documentation, and stronger support for scientific health research.

Significantly, the new module will help improve global access to Ayush-based interventions and position traditional Indian medicine as a scientifically validated part of the international healthcare ecosystem.

Welcoming the collaboration, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared on social media that WHO has received a 3 million dollar contribution from India to support its work on traditional medicine and ICHI development. He expressed gratitude for India’s commitment to global health and the principle of Health for All.

The integration of India's traditional medicine systems into the ICHI and ICD-11 frameworks is expected to strengthen their credibility and global reach, reinforcing India's leadership in the promotion of evidence-based traditional healthcare.