A new module under ICHI will standardize Ayush treatments and open doors to global health systems.
India’s Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization signed an agreement on May 24 to build a Traditional Medicine module within the International Classification of Health Interventions. The move follows the WHO’s ICD-11 for diseases and will log Ayush treatments in a global health code.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the pact on May 25 during his Mann Ki Baat broadcast. He noted, “Friends, something has happened in the field of Ayurveda… Just yesterday, i.e. on 24th May, an MoU was signed in the presence of WHO Director General and my friend Tulsi Bhai.” That moment marked the start of work to classify interventions such as herbal therapy, Panchakarma and yoga-based care alongside conventional procedures.
By giving Ayush its own codes, hospitals can bill clearly and set fair prices. Insurers will find it easier to cover these therapies, and health records will capture them in the same system as surgery or drug treatments. Researchers can track outcomes across nations, and health planners can compare data on traditional and modern care.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the deal on X, writing, “Pleased to sign an agreement for a $3 million contribution from #India to @WHO’s work on traditional medicine and the International Classification of Health Interventions, with @moAyush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha. We welcome India’s continued commitment to #HealthForAll.” His message underlined that the funding will support the technical work needed to build the module.
Once the module goes live, a doctor in New Delhi and a practitioner in Nairobi will record identical codes for the same Ayurvedic massage or herbal formula. Global health bodies can then include Ayush data in policy planning, and patients worldwide can find these options in electronic health records.
This step follows India’s push to link its heritage of traditional medicine to modern standards. By positioning Ayush alongside ICD-11, the two codes together will guide how nations classify illnesses and interventions. Far from a simple coding update, it represents a plan to fold Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and other systems into mainstream care.
As the world looks for new tools to cut costs and expand access, the Ayush module could make a place for these age-old treatments in hospitals, research papers and insurance schemes everywhere. The work now turns to building the technical framework, writing the codes, and training practitioners. When that is done, Ayush will have crossed a new frontier: from local practice to global health policy.
