New Delhi, Dec 20 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said traditional medicine must gain wider acceptance by earning trust through scientific validation, asserting that evidence based research is key to expanding its global reach.
Addressing the WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, Modi said traditional systems of healthcare have long been relied upon by a large section of the world’s population, yet they have not received the place they truly deserve despite their immense potential.
“There was once a perception that traditional medicine was limited to wellness or lifestyle care, but this perception is rapidly changing. Traditional medicine can also play an effective role in critical situations, and India is moving forward with this vision,” the Prime Minister said.
Modi underlined the need to strengthen research, adopt digital technologies and build a trusted regulatory framework to further bolster traditional medicine. “Trust must be won through science, and its reach must be expanded further,” he said, highlighting India’s efforts towards scientific validation of traditional practices.
Citing Ashwagandha as an example, the Prime Minister said the herb has been used for centuries in India’s traditional medical systems and witnessed a sharp rise in global demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. “India, through research and evidence-based validation, is advancing Ashwagandha in a credible manner,” he said, noting that international experts have deliberated on its safety, quality and usage.
Modi said India is fully committed to integrating time-tested herbs into global public health systems and stressed that expanding the acceptability of traditional medicine is a shared responsibility of all nations.
Referring to the deliberations at the summit, he said the participation and dialogue over the past three days showed that the world is ready to move forward together. “Everyone has to make a resolve to advance traditional medicine with trust, respect and responsibility,” he added.
During the event, the Prime Minister launched several Ayush initiatives, including the My Ayush Integrated Services Portal (MAISP), and unveiled the Ayush Mark, envisioned as a global benchmark for the quality of Ayush products and services. He also released a WHO technical report on training in Yoga, the book From Roots to Global Reach: 11 Years of Transformation in Ayush, and a commemorative postal stamp on Ashwagandha.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, along with Union ministers J P Nadda and Prataprao Jadhav, were among the dignitaries present.
Modi also cautioned that rapid technological advances, including artificial intelligence and robotics, would bring unprecedented lifestyle changes, creating new challenges for human health. He said traditional healthcare systems must not only address present needs but also prepare for future responsibilities, which remain a collective global obligation.