The Ministry of Ayush held a two-day consultative meeting on May 25 and 26 to review the development of the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) and National Health Intervention Codes (NHIC) for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems of medicine.
Organised in virtual mode, the meeting focused on creating a globally standardised coding framework for traditional medicine interventions in collaboration with the World Health organization. The initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding and donor agreement signed between the Ministry of Ayush and WHO. The project aims to develop scientifically structured codes for traditional medicine treatments to improve global healthcare data exchange, strengthen clinical research, and support interoperability in digital health and insurance systems.
The meeting was chaired by Vaidya rajesh Kotecha who said the initiative would help integrate traditional medicine into global healthcare systems while improving documentation and digital health compatibility. The inaugural session began with remarks by dr. n.srikanth, dr.kavita jain highlighted the importance of standardised terminology in promoting evidence-based traditional medicine. Representatives from WHO, including dr. pawan godatwar and dr. Geetha Krishnan also participated in the discussions.
Technical presentations on the coding framework were delivered by:
- Prof. Vaidya rabinarayan acharya for Ayurveda
- Prof. dr. n.j Muthukumar for Siddha
- Dr. n. zaheer ahmed for Unani
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Experts from WHO’s Data Standards and Informatics team, including dr. Nenad kostanjsek, discussed future plans and technical requirements for aligning traditional medicine classifications with international health informatics standards.
Separate breakout sessions for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems were also held for technical reviews and consultations on draft documents. Around 30 scientists and faculty members from various Ayush research councils and institutes participated in the deliberations. The final framework will form the basis for the WHO-ICHI ASU Alpha Draft editorial workshop scheduled for July 2026.
