BRICS Health Ministers Back Landmark Traditional Medicine Initiative

Source: Devdiscourse | Original Published At: 2026-07-28 08:52:10 UTC

Key Points

• BRICS health ministers adopted the first dedicated section on traditional, complementary and integrative medicine in the BRICS Health Ministerial Declaration at their 16th meeting in Chandigarh, India.
• A new BRICS expert working group on TCIM was established to strengthen dialogue, scientific collaboration and knowledge exchange among member countries.
• Member states agreed to promote collaborative clinical studies, research methodologies, quality assurance, safety standards, toxicity assessments and pharmacovigilance.
• Countries were encouraged to register TCIM clinical trials in WHO-recognized registries, including the WHO International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry.
• The declaration supports digital knowledge platforms, databases, interoperable systems and the use of artificial intelligence for TCIM research and healthcare.
• BRICS initiatives were aligned with the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre and the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034.
• The next BRICS Summit is scheduled for 12–13 September 2026 in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.