New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) The Ministry of Ayush on Wednesday said it conducted a high-level review meeting and consultative discussions on the development of the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) and National Health Intervention Codes (NHIC) for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) systems of medicine on May 25 and 26 in online mode.

The initiative follows the landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Donor Agreement signed between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The objective is to create a globally standardised and scientifically robust coding vocabulary for ASU clinical interventions that can support cross-border data exchange, clinical research and interoperability in global healthcare systems, including insurance integration.

The meeting was chaired by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, who underlined the strategic importance of internationally aligned intervention classifications.

He said the initiative would help integrate traditional medicine systems into global healthcare frameworks, improve documentation practices and strengthen interoperability in digital health ecosystems.

The inaugural session began with welcome remarks by Dr. N. Srikanth, Deputy Director General of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS). Dr. Kavita Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, highlighted the importance of standardised intervention terminology for strengthening evidence-based traditional medicine systems.

Representatives from the World Health Organization also participated in the discussions. Dr. Pawan Godatwar, Technical Officer at WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), and Dr. Geetha Krishnan, Unit Head at GTMC Jamnagar, addressed the session and discussed the global relevance of standardized coding systems for traditional medicine.

Detailed technical presentations on the four-level hierarchical coding directories were delivered by the respective research councils.

Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of CCRAS, presented the Ayurveda coding framework (NHICA), while Prof. Dr. N. J. Muthukumar, Director General of CCRS, presented the Siddha intervention classification system (NHICS). Dr. N. Zaheer Ahmed, Director General of CCRUM, presented the Unani coding framework (NHICUM).

–IANS

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