Nation

Jamnagar soon to get Global Centre for Traditional Medicine

Several dignitaries from around the globe to attend the ground breaking ceremony on 19th April

Published:
09 Apr 2022 01:40pm IST

The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal today visited the site of the upcoming Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) at Jamnagar in Gujarat. The Minister visited the site and interacted via a review meeting with the top officials of the ministry and the state government to understand the progress for the ground breaking ceremony of GCTM scheduled to held on 19 April, 2022.

PM Narendra Modi and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organisation (WHO) will attend this ground breaking ceremony. Ministry of Ayush signed the Host Country Agreement with World Health Organization (WHO) for establishing WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India at Jamnagar, Gujarat, with its interim office at the Institute of Training and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) in Gujarat.

The Centre will be supported by an investment of about USD 250 million from the Government of India. The primary objective of GCTM is to harness the potential of traditional medicine from across the world through modern science and technology and improve the overall health of the communities the world over. The Agreement was signed on 25 March in Geneva by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary.

Ministry of Ayush and Director General, WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal said, "Our rich traditional medicinal practices is widely accepted as life-enriching practise across the world. The unwavering commitment of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji towards the propagation of traditional medicinal practices along with contemporary medicine has helped the vision of life enrichment.

The primary objective of GCTM is to harness the potential of traditional medicine from across the world through modern science and technology and improve overall health of the communities world over

In a post COVID world, the role of enriching our health is of paramount importance. The establishment of GCTM would not have been possible without the vision of the Prime Minister to energise our rich traditional medicinal practices for the benefit of human health & wellness. After all, a healthy nation is a wealthy nation and we are committed towards building a nation of people who are healthy and happy.

**Image:** Sarbananda Sonowal during the inspection of the site

" GCTM will be the first and only Global Centre (office) for traditional medicine across the globe. Speaking about the GCTM, Sarbananda Sonowal further added, "It is a proud moment for all of India that a world class institution is being established in India. We must secure maximum from this opportunity of a world class institution by building scientific credibility of our traditional medicinal practices through clinical evaluation and scientific rationale. This would enable our rich traditional medicinal practices to reach farthest corners of the world to help people recover from ailments and enrich their lives."

Traditional medicine is a key pillar of health care delivery systems and plays a crucial role in maintaining good health and well-being not only in India but across the world. In recent years, traditional medicine therapies have also seen a major transformation as usage of artificial intelligence, technological innovations have made it more accessible to masses.

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