Jamnagar: Traditional medicine systems can help countries in their mission to provide universal health coverage, World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said here on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ghebreyesus and Mauritius prime minister Pravind Jugnauth laid the foundation stone for the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) here.
The centre will help countries harness the power of science to strengthen traditional medicine with a focus on evidence, data, sustainability and innovation, Ghebreyesus said in his speech.
Traditional medicine systems can help countries move towards universal health coverage by improving equitable access to safe, quality and effective medical services, he said.
The GCTM will be a "truly global project" that will help bring the benefits of traditional medicines to the people around the world, he said.
"The centre we are launching will help harness the power of science to strengthen evidence-based traditional medicine," the top WHO official added. The GCTM will prove to be a "powerful vehicle" to increase the contribution of traditional medicine in the national healthcare system, something not yet fully realised amid challenges faced due to the lack of systemic data and evidence, insufficient financial support for research and inadequate mechanism to monitor the safety of its practice, Dr Ghebreyesus said.