India Partners with WHO to Mainstream Ayush Globally through an Agreement on Traditional Medicine Interventions

An agreement was signed between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 24, 2025.

• The agreement marks the beginning of work on a dedicated Traditional Medicine module under the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI).

• This initiative will help in making Ayush reach maximum number of people across the world in a scientific manner.

• The ICHI, complementing WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), documents what treatments and health interventions are administered. With the inclusion of a traditional medicine module, therapies from Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, and Unani systems—such as Panchakarma, Yoga therapy, Unani regimens, and Siddha procedures—will now be recognized in globally standardized terms.

• This will bring about multiple benefits:
  • Transparent billing and fair pricing for Ayush services.
  • Smoother integration of Ayush treatments in health insurance coverage.
  • Enhanced hospital management, clinical documentation, and health research.
  • Most importantly, greater global accessibility to Ayush interventions.