The Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India hosted a virtual meeting of the BRICS Experts in Traditional Medicines under India’s Chairship of BRICS 2021 on 25 March 2021. The meeting was attended by Traditional Medicines Experts from Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa.

Addressing the experts, Mr. P.K. Pathak, Additional Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, who chaired the meeting, provided an overview of the Traditional Medicine system in India and of the various initiatives of the Ministry of AYUSH including for the mitigation of COVID-19. Eminent experts from Ministry of AYUSH, All India institute of Ayurveda, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) outlined the role and importance of Traditional Medicine in achieving SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) by means of integrating it in the public healthcare system as part of the BRICS Agenda for health under the Economic and Financial pillar of intra-BRICS Cooperation.

India’s BRICS 2021 priorities and deliverables in the field of Traditional Medicine with the aim of enhancing and strengthening BRICS collaboration including an MoU on BRICS Cooperation in Traditional Medicines and a BRICS Forum on Traditional Medicine (BFTM) were presented and discussed during the meeting. The proposals made by India aim at supporting the BRICS Members in strengthening their national capacities in the area of traditional medicine and implementing a Traditional Medicine Action Plan, with particular emphasis on the safe and effective use of traditional medicine and its appropriate integration into national health care systems. The BRICS MoU and the BRICS Forum on Traditional Medicine (BFTM) would help foster BRICS cooperation on Traditional Medicine for holistic health care through promotion of BRICS collaboration in policies, approaches, strategies, institutional and regulatory framework of Traditional Medicine and sharing of knowledge among other things.

The BRICS experts expressed their appreciation and extended their cooperation and support for the substantive agenda and work related to Traditional Medicine that are planned by India in 2021, as the Chair of BRICS.

 

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MV/SJ

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