PYQ Relevance[UPSC 2019] How is the Government of India protecting traditional knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies? Linkage: Traditional medicine is gaining global traction, so protecting it from patenting and biopiracy is now a core policy priority rather than a cultural concern. As India leads the global traditional medicine agenda, this linkage makes the topic very likely to appear in future UPSC exams under health governance, IPR and soft-power. |
Mentor’s Comment
The global health landscape is undergoing a paradigm shift. Traditional medicine, once seen as alternative, is now being recognised as a scientific and social asset. With India emerging as a hub of innovation and evidence-based traditional research, and hosting the Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, the world is witnessing a renewed focus on health systems rooted in balance, sustainability and technology-enabled well-being.
INTRODUCTION
Health, in its original meaning, has always signified harmony, within the human body, and between humans and nature. With modern lifestyles driving chronic diseases, mental strain and ecological imbalance, traditional systems of medicine offer a rediscovered pathway to well-being that integrates mind, body, community, and environment. India, with its rich heritage of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa, is repositioning traditional medicine as an engine of science-driven global healthcare transformation.
WHY IN THE NEWS?
The Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine hosted by India marks a watershed moment, for the first time, traditional medicine is being institutionalised globally as a scientific, evidence-backed and sustainable component of public health systems. With around 90% of WHO member-states reporting usage of traditional medicine, and India’s AYUSH market reaching USD 34.3 billion, global health priorities are shifting from reactive sick-care to proactive well-being. The Summit signals the beginning of a new chapter where traditional medicine integrates with modern technologies, data analytics and global governance.
Why is traditional medicine gaining global significance?
- Escalating lifestyle diseases: rising non-communicable diseases demand preventive, holistic models of care.
- Fragmented systems failing: reactive, curative-centric models cannot ensure long-term public well-being.
- Biodiversity-nutrition-livelihood interlinkages: traditional medicine influences food security, sustainability and livelihoods.
- Affordability for LMICs: for billions across low- and middle-income regions, traditional medicine remains first access to healthcare.
How is traditional medicine evolving from belief to science?
- Evidence-based research: WHO emphasises integration supported by data, learning and scientific validation.
- Shift from consumer preference to collective responsibility: well-being linked to shared ecosystems and sustainability.
- Recognition as a scientific and social asset: elevated at the 2023 WHO Summit in Gandhinagar.
- Institutional reforms in India: dedicated AYUSH department at BIS, and global standards under ISO/TC 249/SC 2.
What is India’s leadership role in global traditional medicine?
- WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) in Jamnagar: a knowledge hub for innovation, analytics and sustainability.
- Memorandum of Understanding with WHO: India co-hosts global Summit and participates in shaping global priorities.
- Political and scientific commitment: Prime Minister’s focus leads to increasing investments and ecosystem building.
- Vision of collective global stewardship: India positions traditional knowledge as shared global heritage.
How does technology change future pathways of traditional medicine?
- Digital health and analytics: enable real-time monitoring, transparency and measurable clinical outcomes.
- Sustainability and biodiversity research: bridges traditional practice with ecological protection.
- Innovation-led scaling: makes traditional systems compatible with global regulatory and safety frameworks.
- Data-driven inclusion: ensures equitable access to health knowledge and solutions.
How does the Summit reshape global health governance?
- Benefit sharing and fair access: ensures equitable utilisation of biological and cultural assets.
- Value of local heritage in globalisation: respects indigenous knowledge in global supply chains.
- Integration with modern health priorities: aligns traditional medicine with contemporary clinical and public health goals.
- Ethical anchoring of future innovation: technology with community-rooted ethics and sustainability.
CONCLUSION
The world is moving toward a health model where prevention, sustainability, community participation and science converge. Traditional medicine, empowered by research, technology and equitable access, offers a pathway to resilience against lifestyle diseases and global health inequalities. India’s leadership in steering this transformation reinforces health not as the absence of disease, but as a state of balance between humans and nature.
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