Parliament Question: WHO Global centre for traditional medicine in the country

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1128 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.02.2026 “WHO Global centre for traditional medicine in the country” 1128. Smt. Sumitra Balmik: Will the Minister of Ayush be please to state: (a) the manner in which the establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in the country will benefit regional research institutes in Madhya Pradesh; (b) the measures taken to promote "Heal in India" (Medical Value Travel), specifically targeting wellness tourism in eco-sensitive zones like Pachmarhi and Amarkantak; and (c) the steps taken to standardize Ayush products (ISO standards) to boost exports from MSME sector of the State to global markets? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYUSH (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV) (a) India is positioning itself as a global leader in traditional medicine through initiatives like the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC). This center, established in partnership with the World Health Organization, is a key step in promoting and researching traditional medicine. It will serve as a key knowledge hub for evidence-based Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) on a global scale. This is the global out posted Centre for traditional medicine across the world, having one of the objective to: Develop norms, standards, and guidelines in relevant technical areas, tools and methodologies, for collecting data undertaking analytics, and assess impact. Envisage WHO Traditional Medicine (TM) Informatics Centre creating a collaborative of existing Traditional Medicine (TM) Data Banks, virtual libraries, and academic and research institutes. (b) The introduction of Ayush Visa put in place a special visa scheme for foreigners visiting India seeking treatment under Indian system of Medicine like therapeutic care, wellness, Yoga etc. Ayush Visa boosts medical value travel and also promotes India as a medical value travel destination. “Medical and Ayush Visa Portal” has been developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) with an aim to streamline and regulate the entry of genuine foreign patients and also to ensure that only authentic healthcare institutions invite patients for treatment. This portal enables onboarded hospitals and wellness centres to generate Ayush Visa Invitation Letters and Ayush Visa Extension Letters for Ayush Visa and Ayush Attendant Visa through a pre-validation mechanism.All Ayush hospitals, Yoga institutions, and wellness centers in all States/UTs have been asked to register on the Medical and Ayush Visa Portal to ensure greater participation and effective implementation of the Ayush visa framework. Two events of Ayush-based Medical Value Travel Summits were successfully conducted in the West and South Zones. The first event in the series, the Ayush-based Medical Value Travel Summit 2024, themed “Global Synergy in Ayush: Transforming Health and Wellness through Medical Value Travel”, was conducted on 30th September 2024 in Mumbai (West Zone) covered of Five States Viz. Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP, and Rajasthan. The second event themed “Ayush Medical Value Travel – Promoting Wellness, Strengthening Global Ties,” was held on 26th May 2025 in Chennai covering the South Zone States/UT of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Puducherry. (c) Ministry of Ayush encourages following certifications of Ayush products as per details below:- (i) The scheme for Certification of Pharmaceutical Product (CoPP) as per World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines is extended to Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani (ASU) medicines. This scheme is administered by Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and the certificate is granted on the basis of joint inspection of the applicant manufacturing unit by the representatives of CDSCO, Ministry of Ayush and the concerned State Licensing Authority. (ii) Quality Certifications Scheme implemented by the Quality Council of India (QCI) for grant of Ayush mark to Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani products on the basis of third party evaluation of quality in accordance with the status of compliance to national and international standards To standardize Ayush products in line with ISO standards, Ministry of Ayush has launched Ayush Quality Mark on 19th December 2025 during 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicines at New Delhi. This Ayush Quality Mark encourages Ayush sector industries to achieve quality and standardization of global equivalence for boosting exports from MSME sector to the global markets. As per the information received from Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) the BIS has submitted a proposal to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for the creation of a dedicated committee for Ayurveda and Yoga, which has been accepted. Accordingly, a separate Sub-Committee on Ayurveda and Yoga (ISO/TC 249/SC 2) has been established under ISO/TC 249 – Traditional Medicine. This will facilitate the development of internationally harmonized ISO standards, thereby supporting global market access. ****