The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, today launched the five-day "Editorial Workshop to Develop the Content Model and Refine the High-Level Structure of the Alpha Draft of the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) Framework of the World Health Organization (WHO)." Scheduled from July 13 to 17, 2026, the workshop marks an important step towards positioning India's traditional medicine systems within the global digital health ecosystem and universal health coverage frameworks.

The workshop is being organized by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) through its World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, the National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (NIIMH), Hyderabad (CC IND-177). It brings together leading scientific experts, institutional heads, and international informatics professionals to finalize a scientifically robust, layered hierarchy of National Health Intervention Codes (NHIC) for Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani (ASU) systems.

The workshop builds upon the base drafts prepared during the consultative meetings held in May 2026.

The expert-validated repository currently covers 13 specialties, 76 therapies and 714 procedures for Ayurveda; 25 specialties, 130 therapies and 996 procedures for Siddha; and 15 specialties, 179 therapies and 551 procedures for Unani.

Highlights of the Inaugural Session

Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, addressing the inaugural session, emphasized the strategic value of the initiative and said:

"This initiative is much more than a coding exercise. It represents a transformational step towards positioning India's traditional medical systems within the global scientific, digital, and policy ecosystem. Incorporating standardized health terminologies will ensure Ayush interventions become an integral part of broader digital health ecosystems, matching modern health informatics standards."

Dr. Kavita Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, detailed the long-term policy impacts of incorporating traditional practices into digital documentation and global health systems.

Leadership perspectives from the respective apex research councils were presented by Dr. N. Zaheer Ahmed, Director General, CCRUM; Prof. Dr. N.J. Muthukumar, Director General, CCRS; and Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS, all highlighting the extensive rigorous vetting their teams undertook to shape the primary coding drafts.

Global operational context was shared by Dr. Geeta Krishnan, Unit Head, GTMC Jamnagar, alongside key addresses from WHO representatives Dr. Robert Jakob, Data Standards and Informatics Team Leader and Dr. Stephane Espinosa, Consultant, WHO, who focused on global interoperability and alignment with digital informatics.

The inaugural program commenced with a formal welcome by Dr. Goli Penchala Prasad, AD I/c, CCRAS-NIIMH, Hyderabad, setting the floor for institutional alignments. Opening remarks were delivered by Dr. N. Srikanth, Deputy Director General, CCRAS, who underlined the significance of standardized terminology in elevating scientific credibility.

 

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Dr Sanjay Roy/ Samir Verma/ Sugandh Garg

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