Working to integrate AI with traditional medicine: JP Nadda at WHO Global Summit

New Delhi [India], December 19 : Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda on Friday addressed the WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, and underlined how India has adopted a holistic approach to medicine, and looking to integrate traditional medicine with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
According to Nadda, India's previous health policy was curative in nature, with an undue focus on only cure through medicine. However, after 2017, a holistic policy was adopted, which also focused on prevention, and promotion of health.
"Our previous health policy was curative. All the emphasis was on curing the disease, that means, that no matter what you eat, drink, live like you want, it is just the medicine which will cure you. But now under the leadership of PM Modi a new policy was launched in 2017, and the health policy became a holistic one," Nadda said while speaking at the WHO Global Summit.
"In the policy, we have to think of it holistically; prevention, promotion of health, curative, geriatric, and with that PM Modi thought of integrative medicine. Integrate yourself, do not work in silos. That is why, today, we have seen that evidence based repository is being made, the experiences of various countries are being shared and connected. With these shared experiences, not only will India be benefiting, but the whole world benefits, that is what we are working towards," he added.
Talking about the work being done to integrate AI with traditional medicine, JP Nadda mentioned that the government has worked to integrate traditional medicine with modern medicine too, with AYUSH centres opened in various AIIMS, the Centre for Integrative Medicine also working on joining the two disciplines.
"Under this, we have taken a pioneering step by integrating artificial intelligence with traditional medicine. On its own, this will give a big push to traditional medicine when we connect those two. When we talk about traditional medicine, along with integrative medicine, I also want to say that we have joined AYUSH with modern medicine, made AYUSH blocks in All India Medical Sciences (AIIMS). We are also bringing forward Centre for Integrative Medicine, so that we can join traditional medicine with modern science, for the benefit of humanity," he said.
The 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, jointly organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Union Ministry of Ayush, is being held from December 17 to 19 at Bharat Mandapam. The summit witnessed intensive deliberations among global leaders, policymakers, scientists, practitioners, Indigenous knowledge holders and civil society representatives on advancing equitable, sustainable and evidence-driven health systems.
PM Modi participated in the closing ceremony of the second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine at Bharat Mandapam, Delhi.
The programme underscores India's growing leadership and pioneering initiatives in shaping a global, science-based and people-centred Traditional Medicine agenda.
PM Modi also launched several initiatives, including the My Ayush Integrated Services Portal (MAISP), and Ayush Mark, meant as a global quality control benchmark for products and services.
PM Modi also released the WHO technical report on training in Yoga and the Book "From Roots to Global Reach: 11 Years of Transformation in Ayush," and a commemorative postal stamp on Ashwagandha, symbolising the global resonance of India's traditional medicinal heritage.