Traditional medicine in the South-East Asia

People in the WHO South-East Asia Region have a long history of using traditional medicine for a wide range of health conditions. In some areas, traditional therapies are the main or even only source of health care, particularly in remote areas.

The majority of Member States in the South-East Asia Region have integrated traditional medicine into their national health-care delivery systems to varying degrees.

Following the Delhi Declaration on Traditional Medicine in 2013, and endorsement of the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023, a regional action plan on traditional medicine was developed in October 2015. This has five areas of action:

• Traditional medicine system monitoring
• Catalyzing research on Traditional medicine system organization and management
• Capacity-building of Traditional medicine practitioners/workforce
• Adverse events reporting systems
• Effective communication