The World Health Oragnisation, WHO was created on February 7th 1948 by United Nations for International public health. Its main objective is to provide highest possible level of health to the people. It seeks and includes: working worldwide for health promotion, world safety and serving the vulnerable. In recents few years WHO come to know about the Traditional medicine or Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TM/CAM).
Soon they realise there importance of the systems of traditional medicine of various countries reflects in the Alma Ata declaration of 1978. The mission of ‘health for all’ cannot be achieved without the active participation of the traditional and alternative system of medicine of that respective country. So they formed policies to promopte the TM/CAM of a country to be in the mainsteam helathcare system of that particular country.
It was all started from 2002-2005 objective to integarate TM into there own health systems. In 2003, a global survey on policies of TM/CAM was conducted. In the same year 2003 WHO issues guidelines on good agriculture and collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants. In year 2004 WHO provides the guidelines on safety monitoring of herbal medicines in pharmacovigilence systems. In 2007 WHO issued guidelines for assessing quality of herbal medicines with reference to contaminants and residues. In the same year they also provide guidelines on good manufacturing practices (GMP) for herbal medicine.
In 2007 at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) WHO sponsers Pharmacopeial Laboratory of Indian Medicine, project on safety profile of Ayurvedic medicines. In year 2008 the pharmacovigilance program is conducted at Gujarat Ayurveda University.
More recently in 2010 and 2011 under DFC (Direct Financial Cooperative) projects WHO sponsored four capacity building training programme for coordinators of regional and peripheral centers of pharmacovigilance of Ayurvedic system of medicine. So many Ayurvedic Clinical Trial project for evidence-based data generation of Ayurvedic classical medicines for certain diseases, are going in collaboration of AYUSH deaprtment of India and WHO.
Regarding R & D in Ayurveda; from year 2009 onwards many of the programmes are conducted by Ayush minstry with collaboration of WHO. Recently in 2021 Ayush ministry and WHO collaborates for regional traditional medicine action plan. This plan focuses on safe and efffective use of traditional medicine service, including Ayurveda. This partenership will help countries in the South- East Asia Region develop policies and implement action plan to strengthen the role of traditional medicine.
