AYUSH press release · 27 May 2026 · pibtracker filter

Two-Day Consultative Meeting Held on WHO-ICHI Framework and National Health Intervention Codes for Traditional Medicine

PRID2265743 MinistryAYUSH Released27 May 2026 Reading10 min

Ayush Reviews Development of International Classification of Health Interventions and National Health Intervention Codes for Traditional Medicine Experts Deliberate on Standardised Coding System for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani under WHO-ICHI Initiative Posted On: 27 MAY 2026 12:49PM by PIB Delhi The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, organized a high-level review meeting and consultative discussions on the development of the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) and National Health Intervention Codes (NHIC) for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) systems of medicine on May 25–26, 2026, in online mode. Following the landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Donor Agreement between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO), the initiative aims to integrate traditional medicine interventions into the WHO’s ICHI framework. The objective is to develop a globally standardized and scientifically robust coding vocabulary for ASU clinical interventions to enable cross-border data exchange, strengthen clinical research, and support global health system interoperability, including insurance integration. The meeting was chaired by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, who emphasized the strategic importance of internationally aligned intervention classifications. He stated that the initiative would significantly contribute to integrating traditional medicine into global health systems, strengthening documentation practices, and enhancing interoperability in digital health ecosystems. Inaugural and Technical Sessions The inaugural session began with welcome remarks by Dr. N. Srikanth, Deputy Director General, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS). In her introductory remarks, Dr. Kavita Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, highlighted the significance of standardized intervention terminology in strengthening evidence-based traditional medicine systems. This was followed by addresses from representatives of the World Health Organization, including Dr. Pawan Godatwar, Technical Officer, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), and Dr. Geetha Krishnan, Unit Head, GTMC Jamnagar. Detailed technical presentations on the four-level hierarchical coding directories were made by the respective Research Councils: Ayurveda (NHICA): Presented by Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS Siddha (NHICS): Presented by Prof. Dr. N. J. Muthukumar, Director General, CCRS Unani (NHICUM): Presented by Dr. N. Zaheer Ahmed, Director General, CCRUM International experts from the WHO Data Standards and Informatics team, including Dr. Nenad Kostanjsek, Technical Officer, WHO, deliberated on the future roadmap and technical requirements for aligning ASU intervention classifications with global health informatics standards. The two-day meeting also included separate breakout sessions for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems, facilitating detailed technical review, vetting and expert consultations on draft documents. Around 30 scientists from the three Research Councils, along with faculty members from various Ayush National Institutes such as ITRA, AIIA, NIUM and other reputed institutions, participated in the deliberations. The finalized framework will form the basis for the upcoming WHO-ICHI ASU Alpha Draft editorial workshop scheduled for July 2026. *** SR/SV/SG (Release ID: 2265743) Visitor Counter : 1253 Read this release in: Urdu , हिन्दी , Gujarati , Tamil AYUSH Two-Day Consultative Meeting Held on WHO-ICHI Framework and National Health Intervention Codes for Traditional Medicine Ayush Reviews Development of International Classification of Health Interventions and National Health Intervention Codes for Traditional Medicine Experts Deliberate on Standardised Coding System for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani under WHO-ICHI Initiative Posted On: 27 MAY 2026 12:49PM by PIB Delhi The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, organized a high-level review meeting and consultative discussions on the development of the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) and National Health Intervention Codes (NHIC) for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) systems of medicine on May 25–26, 2026, in online mode. Following the landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Donor Agreement between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO), the initiative aims to integrate traditional medicine interventions into the WHO’s ICHI framework. The objective is to develop a globally standardized and scientifically robust coding vocabulary for ASU clinical interventions to enable cross-border data exchange, strengthen clinical research, and support global health system interoperability, including insurance integration. The meeting was chaired by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, who emphasized the strategic importance of internationally aligned intervention classifications. He stated that the initiative would significantly contribute to integrating traditional medicine into global health systems, strengthening documentation practices, and enhancing interoperability in digital health ecosystems. Inaugural and Technical Sessions The inaugural session began with welcome remarks by Dr. N. Srikanth, Deputy Director General, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS). In her introductory remarks, Dr. Kavita Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, highlighted the significance of standardized intervention terminology in strengthening evidence-based traditional medicine systems. This was followed by addresses from representatives of the World Health Organization, including Dr. Pawan Godatwar, Technical Officer, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), and Dr. Geetha Krishnan, Unit Head, GTMC Jamnagar. Detailed technical presentations on the four-level hierarchical coding directories were made by the respective Research Councils: Ayurveda (NHICA): Presented by Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS Siddha (NHICS): Presented by Prof. Dr. N. J. Muthukumar, Director General, CCRS Unani (NHICUM): Presented by Dr. N. Zaheer Ahmed, Director General, CCRUM International experts from the WHO Data Standards and Informatics team, including Dr. Nenad Kostanjsek, Technical Officer, WHO, deliberated on the future roadmap and technical requirements for aligning ASU intervention classifications with global health informatics standards. The two-day meeting also included separate breakout sessions for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems, facilitating detailed technical review, vetting and expert consultations on draft documents. Around 30 scientists from the three Research Councils, along with faculty members from various Ayush National Institutes such as ITRA, AIIA, NIUM and other reputed institutions, participated in the deliberations. The finalized framework will form the basis for the upcoming WHO-ICHI ASU Alpha Draft editorial workshop scheduled for July 2026. *** SR/SV/SG (Release ID: 2265743) Experts Deliberate on Standardised Coding System for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani under WHO-ICHI Initiative " /> The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, organized a high-level review meeting and consultative discussions on the development of the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) and National Health Intervention Codes (NHIC) for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) systems of medicine on May 25–26, 2026, in online mode. Following the landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Donor Agreement between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO), the initiative aims to integrate traditional medicine interventions into the WHO’s ICHI framework. The objective is to develop a globally standardized and scientifically robust coding vocabulary for ASU clinical interventions to enable cross-border data exchange, strengthen clinical research, and support global health system interoperability, including insurance integration. The meeting was chaired by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, who emphasized the strategic importance of internationally aligned intervention classifications. He stated that the initiative would significantly contribute to integrating traditional medicine into global health systems, strengthening documentation practices, and enhancing interoperability in digital health ecosystems. <h3 style="text-align:justify"><a name="_sy3qs42xdr2f"></a>Inaugural and Technical Sessions</h3> The inaugural session began with welcome remarks by Dr. N. Srikanth, Deputy Director General, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS). In her introductory remarks, Dr. Kavita Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, highlighted the significance of standardized intervention terminology in strengthening evidence-based traditional medicine systems. This was followed by addresses from representatives of the World Health Organization, including Dr. Pawan Godatwar, Technical Officer, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), and Dr. Geetha Krishnan, Unit Head, GTMC Jamnagar. Detailed technical presentations on the four-level hierarchical coding directories were made by the respective Research Councils: <ul> <li style="text-align:justify">Ayurveda (NHICA): Presented by Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Siddha (NHICS): Presented by Prof. Dr. N. J. Muthukumar, Director General, CCRS</li> <li style="text-align:justify">Unani (NHICUM): Presented by Dr. N. Zaheer Ahmed, Director General, CCRUM</li> </ul> International experts from the WHO Data Standards and Informatics team, including Dr. Nenad Kostanjsek, Technical Officer, WHO, deliberated on the future roadmap and technical requirements for aligning ASU intervention classifications with global health informatics standards. The two-day meeting also included separate breakout sessions for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems, facilitating detailed technical review, vetting and expert consultations on draft documents. Around 30 scientists from the three Research Councils, along with faculty members from various Ayush National Institutes such as ITRA, AIIA, NIUM and other reputed institutions, participated in the deliberations. The finalized framework will form the basis for the upcoming WHO-ICHI ASU Alpha Draft editorial workshop scheduled for July 2026. <img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image001H1OS.gif" style="height:351px; width:624px" /> <img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image0021XG5.gif" style="height:351px; width:624px" /> <img src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image0037T8P.gif" style="height:351px; width:624px" /> *** SR/SV/SG " /> var mPlayer = document.getElementById("background_music"); var mPlayAction = document.getElementById("playbutton"); var isPlaying = false; function playAudio() { mPlayer.play(); isPlaying = true; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "none"; } function pauseAudio() { mPlayer.pause(); isPlaying = false; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "none"; } //function HandleAudio() { // if (isPlaying == true) { // //Playing already Pause it // pauseAudio(); 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For UPSC

Ministry of Ayush signed MoU with WHO to integrate ASU systems into WHO-ICHI (International Classification of Health Interventions) framework; aims at global standardisation, insurance integration and cross-border data exchange for traditional medicine.

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pib.gov.in · PRID 2265743

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Two-Day Consultative Meeting Held on WHO-ICHI Framework and National Health Intervention Codes for Traditional Medicine

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