Spain Participates in World Health Organization Summit on Traditional Medicine
Madrid, Aug 17 (EFE) – Spain is actively participating in the First World Summit of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Traditional Medicine, taking place in India until tomorrow. The summit aims to highlight the contribution traditional medicine can make to health and sustainable development.
A delegation from the Ministry of Health has attended the meeting, which has been held in the town of Gandhinagar since Thursday. The summit runs parallel to the G20 meeting of health ministers and seeks to reach political commitments for implementing evidence-based measures on traditional medicine.
The summit is a collaborative effort between the WHO and the Government of India, which will chair the G20 in 2023. Spanish representatives will share experiences with their counterparts and discuss how traditional medicine contributes to health and sustainable development.
The WHO intends to use this platform to bring together stakeholders from various sectors including traditional medicine practitioners, users, communities, national policymakers, international organizations, academia, the private sector, and civil society organizations. The aim is to exchange good practices, evidence, data, and innovations related to traditional medicine.
According to the WHO, traditional medicine is the primary therapeutic option for millions of people worldwide for their health and well-being needs. Approximately 40% of medicines used today are based on natural products. A total of 170 member states have reported their use of traditional medicine to the WHO, seeking evidence and data to support policies, rules, and regulations for safe, cost-effective, and equitable use.
The participation of Spain in this summit highlights the importance of traditional medicine in healthcare and the need for evidence-based approaches in integrating it into existing systems.