Asean agrees to further promote integration of traditional medicine

MANILA, Philippines - With traditional medicine often the most widely available and affordable source of health care in the region, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed to promote further integration of traditional medicine, complementary and alternative medicine into health care services as a part of comprehensive national health systems.

ASEAN came up with an Action Plan and Declaration on Traditional Medicine, following the Conference on Traditional Medicine in ASEAN Countries, in Bangkok, Thailand recently.

In the “Bangkok Declaration on Traditional Medicine in ASEAN,” member states agreed to generate and share evidence-based information on traditional medicine knowledge and practices by promoting and communicating widely and appropriately throughout the region and other partners and to harmonize national technical requirements and regulations as part of their commitment to ensure safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine.

ASEAN also vowed to develop specific activities to enhance collaboration in traditional medicine by involving practitioners and providers, industries, non-profit and professional organizations, the academe, communities as well as partner organizations as key partners.

ASEAN said this is part of putting into operation the actions stipulated in the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) to facilitate research and cross-country exchange of experience in promoting the integration of safe, effective and quality traditional medicine, complementary and alternative medicine into the national health care system, and across other sectors.

They cited the World Health Organization’s (WHO) specific objectives in Traditional Medicine Strategy for 2002-2005 to support countries to integrate traditional medicine into national health care systems, promote the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine by expanding the knowledge-base on traditional medicine, increase the availability and affordability of traditional medicine, as appropriate, with an emphasis on access for poor populations, and promote therapeutically sound use of appropriate traditional medicine by providers and consumers.

The regional bloc acknowledged that traditional medicine is often the most widely available and affordable source of health care in ASEAN.

“Recognizing that ASEAN member states possess an abundance of untapped and newly discovered herbal and medicinal plants and other natural resources, as well as indigenous traditional knowledge and practices which have evolved from different ethnological, cultural, geographical, philosophical backgrounds, and the need to ensure sustainable management of biological diversity,” ASEAN said.

ASEAN welcomed the support of the Nippon Foundation through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the ASEAN Secretariat to assist member states in promoting traditional medicine.

ASEAN secretary-general Dr. Surin Pitsuwan said one-third of the population in developing countries lacks access to modern and standard medical care where accessibility to safe, effective and quality traditional medicine will be important.

“The provision of safe and effective traditional medicine could be a critical tool for increasing access to health care systems in many of our ASEAN countries. However, we have to ensure the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine by putting in place harmonized standards, appropriate quality control system and common regulations in ASEAN,” Surin said.