NEW DELHI — Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) here would usher in a new era of traditional medicine globally.

Modi, along with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth laid the foundation stone for the WHO GCTM.

Notably, the meeting between Dr. Ghebreyesus and Modi came days after India objected to the WHO's methodology for estimating the number of COVID-19 deaths in the country.

"When India is celebrating 75 years of its Independence right now, this ground-breaking ceremony for this center marks the beginning of a new era of traditional medicine in the world during the next 25 years," Modi said on this occasion.

"Looking at the increasing popularity of holistic healthcare, I am confident that traditional medicine and this center will become very important for each and every family of the world after 25 years, when India will be celebrating 100 years of independence," he added.

He emphasized that though it is important to be "disease-free", the ultimate goal should be "wellness".

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, we realized the importance of wellness. That is the reason why the world is searching for new avenues of healthcare delivery," said Modi.

Referring to ancient scriptures, he said Ayurveda and other Indian traditional medicine systems were not limited to only treatment, as they are considered as holistic sciences.

Indian traditional knowledge can play a crucial role in dealing with new diseases and ailments related to the modern lifestyle, the prime minister said.

"In India, there was a time when our elders used to stress the consumption of millet. But we saw a decline in its consumption over the years. But people are once again talking about it. I am happy that the UN has also accepted India's proposal to popularize the use of millet in our diet," Modi said.

Formulations based on traditional medical systems like Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha are in huge demand worldwide today, Modi noted.

Yoga is helping people across the globe in fighting diabetes, obesity, depression and several such ailments, he said, expressing hope that the center will play an important role in popularizing Yoga globally.

The prime minister also set five goals for the WHO-GCTM.

"Your first goal should be to make use of technology to prepare a comprehensive database of all the traditional medicines available in the world.

“This center should have a global repository of all such traditional knowledge. This will help us in passing on this knowledge about traditional medicine of different countries to the next generations," said Modi.

The GCTM should also work towards setting international standards for testing and certification of traditional medicine, he added.

"This will help in creating trust about traditional medicines. Though many of India's traditional medicines are popular abroad, the supply remains limited because of the lack of any international standards," he said.

As a third goal, the PM suggested the center organize annual events such as Traditional Medicine Festival so that experts from across the globe come together.

"Your fourth aim should be to mobilize funds for research in traditional medicine. Just like the pharma sector gets funds worth billions for research, we need to develop similar resources for this sector," he said.

In the end, Modi also urged the center to develop "holistic treatment protocols" for some specific diseases.

PM Modi and Dr Ghebreyesus came together in Jamnagar after India had on Saturday questioned the WHO's methodology to estimate COVID-19 mortalities in the country, saying that such a mathematical modeling cannot be applied to estimate the death figures in a country of vast geographical size and population.

The center aims at unlocking the traditional medicines’ potential by blending ancient practices with modern science. During the event, the WHO chief spoke in Hindi, which surprised all.

“The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine is recognition of India's contribution and potential in this field," Modi said. The WHO GCTM has been set up by Ministry of Ayush and the WHO.

"I am happy that by giving the slogan ‘One planet our health’ WHO has promoted the Indian vision of ‘One Earth, One Health’. It is a matter of immense pride for India that 2023 has been chosen as the International Year of Millets by the United Nation," Modi said.

Meanwhile, WHO chief said, “Traditional medicines products abound globally and the center will go a long way in bringing the promise of the traditional medicine to fruition.

“The new center will focus on data, innovation and sustainability and will optimize the use of traditional medicine. The WHO global center for traditional medicine is a truly global project."

“Through this center India will be able to take its knowledge of traditional medicine to the world and similarly world will come to India. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support in establishing this center in India."

Addressing the audience, Union Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “India has been proven pioneers in the field of traditional medicine since time immemorial.

“The knowledge sharing and cooperation has been documented in history and in continuation of the same, focused efforts have been relentlessly undertaken by Ministry of Ayush, government of India. The establishing of the Global Centre is an effort to bring synergy and cooperation in this domain would benefit all the member states."

Modi said, “I've known Dr. Tedros for a long time and every time we have met, he has mentioned his learnings from his Indian teachers with such prestige, expressed his sentiments with such cheer, that his affection for India is visible in the form of an Institute today."

He made us feel 'Triveni' in a way and touched our hearts by speaking in Gujarati, Hindi, English, Modi added. — Agencies