Govt. will increase investment to develop traditional medicine: Minister Basnet

Minister for Health and Population, Mohan Bahadur Basnet, expressed the commitment that Nepal government would increase investment in development and expansion of traditional medicines.

Addressing the plenary session of the Traditional Medicine Global Summit organized by the WHO and co-hosted by the government of India at Gandhinagar of Gujarat State in India on Sunday, Minister Basnet said 80 percent Nepali population is still residing in rural areas and they are using traditional medicine in one way or another.

"It is high time to develop and expand traditional medicine. We should not delay anymore," asserted Minister Basnet.

The event is attended by the Health Ministers of G-20 and high-level invitees from countries across the WHO's six regions. Participants also include scientists, practitioners of traditional medicine, health workers and members of the civil society.

Stating that all countries in the world had their own experiences in the field of traditional medicine, Minister Basnet said that the need of the hour was to exchange knowledge and experience and collaborate to manufacture traditional medicines as well as Ayurvedic medicines.

The participants in the Summit pledged to increase scholarship of high-level human resources in the Ayurveda sector, collaborate in the field of Ayurveda and naturopathy and facilitate import and export of manufactured Ayurdevic medicine, according to Director General of the Department of Ayurveda and Alternative Medicine, Dr Vasudev Upadhyay.

The Summit is organized with an objective of exploring the role of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine in addressing pressing health challenges and driving progress in global health and sustainable development.

On the occasion, Director General of the WHO, Dr Tredos Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called for collaboration among all for the development of traditional medicine.

In the inaugural session of the Summit, Union Health Minister of India, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, and Union Minister for Ayush, Sarbananda Sonobal, said only the use of modern medicine would not be possible to treat all diseases. They emphasized all-sided partnership in development of traditional medicines.

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