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GENEVA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- China, alongside Malaysia, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, and Seychelles, co-hosted a side event on traditional medicine for the first time on Tuesday at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva.
The event aimed to promote the integration of traditional medicine into national health systems, support universal health coverage, advance the Sustainable Development Goals, and contribute to building a global health community for all.
The event brought together more than 100 participants, including senior health officials, WHO representatives, distinguished scholars, and professionals from the international academic community.
Yu Yanhong, director of China's National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, delivered the keynote speech at the event. She highlighted China's longstanding commitment to the development of traditional medicine, emphasizing the country's unique path of development and the remarkable progress it has made.
Yu urged countries to develop traditional medicine systems tailored to their national contexts and promote modernizing traditional practices. She also reiterated China's commitment to supporting the integration of traditional medicine into health systems worldwide.
Peggy Vidot, the Minister of Health of Seychelles, shared that traditional therapies and herbal medicine have a long history and deep cultural roots in the country, with growing public recognition of their benefits.
She recommended that practitioners receive proper education and formal training, advocate for evidence-based practices, and establish frameworks to ensure the quality, efficacy and safety of traditional medicine as its role in health systems continues to grow. She also expressed her country's interest in further strengthening cooperation with China and other countries in this field.
Saia Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, described traditional medicine as a vital pillar of health systems and a significant contributor to global health.
He praised China's achievements in both preserving and innovating traditional medicine, emphasizing that it should complement, rather than compete with, modern medicine.
He called for strengthened international cooperation to ensure the safety, quality and accessibility of traditional medicine. Piukala also highlighted that the Western Pacific Region is actively working to integrate traditional medicine into universal health efforts, ensuring that more people can benefit from its inclusion.
