Source: UN News: Friday, 26 December 2025 00:01 AM
The global discussion on traditional medicine held in New Delhi made it clear that in many countries this system is still the first resort of treatment. But some thoughts emerged in this discussion that the role of evidence, rules, data and technologies like artificial intelligence to make traditional medical practice safe and reliable on a large scale has become more important than ever. Tweet URL
For Dr Odgarig Altasaikhan from Mongolia, who came to India to participate in the second global summit on traditional medicine, traditional medicine is not a separate system. It is part of daily life care. According to him, the traditional medicine of Mongolia has developed in two streams. One stream is influenced by Tibetan medicine. The second is linked to even older shamanic traditions. But its purpose is not just to cure the disease. He says, “It is not just diagnosis and treatment. It is about balance. The balance between man and nature.” Dr. Altasaikhan explains that this knowledge was not passed on from books, but from the nomadic lifestyle. Communities learned from observing animals, the seasons, and the earth. The challenge today is not just to save it, but to explain it in a way that people can understand and have meaning. In South Africa, Rutendo Ngara, a practitioner of local knowledge systems, connects traditional medicine directly to nature and the ecosystem. She says traditional medicine “has supported societies for thousands of years,” but was marginalized with colonialism and resource exploitation. In some places it has even been criminalised. “When ecosystems are destroyed, the foundation of tribal healing is also destroyed,” says Rutendo Ngara. For her, protecting traditional medicine does not just mean protecting the methods. It is also linked to the protection of biodiversity, community rights and equitable benefit-sharing. Traditional medicine is still the first line of treatment for people in many parts of the world.World Health Organization ,WHO)’s Europe Region Director, Dr. Hans Henry P. Kluge, challenges the common belief that traditional medicine is limited to the Global South. He said, “About 25 percent of the population of Europe, about 250 million people, have used some form of traditional or complementary medicine in the last one year.” © UN News/Anshu Sharma Nuad Thai treatment at a traditional medicine exhibition organized on the occasion of the summit. “Traditional medicine is not the last resort for billions of people. It is the first place they go for treatment,” he said. This preventive approach is clearly visible in India. Dr. Tanuja Nesri of the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, says that systems like Ayurveda are not limited to treatment after illness, but rather focus on maintaining health. Its principle is to keep daily routine, diet and behavior in accordance with nature. According to him, technology now provides an opportunity to link household and traditional knowledge with research and policy. But it will be beneficial only if it is used responsibly and carefully. Accountability and Data As the scope of traditional medicine is expanding, the biggest question has emerged – that of accountability. Dr. Calypso Chakidu of the World Health Organization said that many services related to traditional medicine run in an environment where their documentation is limited, rules and regulations are not the same everywhere and the data system is also weak. Is. This makes it difficult for governments to ensure security, equality and measures to protect people from economic risk. “Accountability is not a barrier. It is a public interest,” he said. © UN News/Anshu Sharma Digital pulse examination in Ayurveda, through which imbalances in health are assessed. Without standardized data, it is difficult to clearly understand who is receiving treatment, what methods and products are being used, how much money is being spent, and what the financial burden is on families. The World Health Organization is trying to bridge this gap by encouraging countries to better collect and monitor information through frameworks such as the International Classification of Diseases, health accounting and minimum data sets. Some countries have already taken steps in this direction. For example, Dr. Daniel Miel Amado of the Brazilian Ministry of Health said he has developed a public electronic health records system. It also keeps records of traditional and integrated services provided at the primary health care level. This gives “visibility” to traditional medicine. This means that instead of estimates, governments are able to understand where, who and what kind of services are being provided on the basis of concrete data. Based on this, it becomes easier to plan, allocate resources, monitor and assess the impact. Ashwagandha and the changing understanding of health © UN News/Anshu Sharma Healers from the Quechua community of Peru at an exhibition organized during the summit. Ashwagandha is a clear example of this change. In the US it is now the fourth best-selling herb across all categories. Roy Upton of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia notes that its popularity highlights a major shortcoming of modern health systems, “Most Western medicines target the terminal stages of disease, not health.” In contrast, ashwagandha is used “primarily to promote health and longevity.” Roy Upton also points out that many developed countries, despite advanced medical systems, lag behind on indicators such as chronic disease and life expectancy. According to him, the preventive approach of traditional medicine does not conflict with modern treatment, but rather compensates for it.AI. Help, but also challengeArtificial intelligence is now being seen as a bridge between traditional knowledge and modern health systems. This bridge can be helpful, or it can be harmful if care is not taken. © UN News/Anshu Sharma Aromatherapy oil displayed at the World Health Organization’s Traditional Medicine Global Summit. Dr. Sung Chol Kim of the World Health Organization says that shared digital structures are its foundation. Through a global database, information from different countries and traditions can be seen in one place. This helps to understand how much evidence there is on which treatments, and in which areas there is still a lack of information and research. According to Dr. Kim, artificial intelligence can open new ways to understand and systematically document local and regional practices, especially where written records are few. But he clearly says that it will work in the right direction only when the education system is strong, the rules are clear, and nothing is done without the consent of the communities. Dr. Tanuja Nesri of the Ministry of AYUSH also emphasizes that a lot of knowledge does not reside in books, but in homes and oral traditions. Tools such as taking photographs, transcribing oral information, and translation can help capture this knowledge and link it to research and policy. But according to him, this work should be done with respect, so that intellectual property and community rights are protected. That is why it is not just a question of technology. This is also a question of trust. Dr. Hans Henry P. Kluge warns that technology is not neutral. If used carelessly, traditions can be distorted, knowledge can be exploited without consent, and misinformation can also spread. © UN News/Anshu Sharma Herbs are used in many traditional medical systems. Different paths, common directionThe way of incorporating traditional medicine into the health system is different in every country. In Bhutan, traditional and modern medicine work together in the same framework. Malaysia is strengthening primary health care practices that are tailored to local cultures and have clear standards of safety and quality. In Brazil, digital systems have captured traditional and integrated services, making them visible at the national level, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all model. But the direction is the same. Creating frameworks based on evidence and safety that both protect people and respect how knowledge of treatments has been passed down through communities for generations.
