New Delhi: In a significant move towards integrating India’s traditional systems of medicine into the global digital healthcare ecosystem, the Ministry of Ayush has launched a five-day workshop on the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Health Interventions (WHO-ICHI) Framework for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) systems.

The initiative aims to develop standardised health intervention codes for traditional Indian medicine, enabling better documentation, interoperability and integration with modern digital health systems. Officials said the effort is expected to strengthen India’s contribution to global health informatics while supporting universal health coverage initiatives.

The workshop is being organised 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.

Ayush seeks global recognition through standardised coding

Addressing the inaugural session, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, described the initiative as a transformational step rather than merely a technical exercise.

He said incorporating internationally recognised health terminologies would help make Ayush interventions an integral part of broader digital healthcare ecosystems while aligning them with modern health informatics standards.

According to Kotecha, the adoption of standardised coding systems will enable India’s traditional medical practices to be better represented in scientific research, digital health records and policy frameworks across the world.

“It represents a transformational step towards positioning India’s traditional medical systems within the global scientific, digital and policy ecosystem,” he said.

Workshop focuses on global interoperability

The five-day workshop has brought together leading scientists, institutional heads, medical experts and international health informatics professionals to finalise a scientifically validated hierarchy of National Health Intervention Codes (NHIC) for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems.

Officials said these codes will facilitate uniform documentation of healthcare interventions, allowing traditional medicine practices to be digitally recorded using internationally accepted standards.

The initiative builds upon draft frameworks prepared during consultative meetings held in May 2026, with experts now reviewing and validating the classifications before their wider adoption.

Extensive repository of traditional interventions prepared

According to the Ministry, the expert-validated repository currently covers a comprehensive range of procedures across the three traditional medical systems.

For Ayurveda, the repository includes:

  • 13 specialties
  • 76 therapies
  • 714 procedures

For Siddha, it comprises:

  • 25 specialties
  • 130 therapies
  • 996 procedures

For Unani, the repository includes:

  • 15 specialties
  • 179 therapies
  • 551 procedures

Officials said the extensive classification exercise aims to ensure that diverse treatment approaches under each system are systematically documented and coded for future digital integration.

WHO experts participate in discussions

The workshop features participation from senior officials and experts associated with the World Health Organization (WHO).

Dr Geeta Krishnan, Unit Head of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC), Jamnagar, outlined the international operational context for integrating traditional medicine into digital healthcare systems.

WHO representatives Dr Robert Jakob, Team Leader for Data Standards and Informatics, and Dr Stephane Espinosa, Consultant, WHO, addressed participants on global interoperability standards and the importance of aligning India’s traditional medicine documentation with international health informatics practices.

Their presentations focused on ensuring that the proposed coding framework is compatible with globally accepted digital health standards.

Digital documentation to strengthen policy and research

Speaking during the inaugural session, Dr Kavita Jain, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, highlighted the long-term policy implications of incorporating traditional healthcare practices into structured digital documentation systems.

Officials believe that standardised intervention codes will improve clinical documentation, facilitate research, strengthen evidence generation and support better policy formulation for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems.

The initiative is also expected to improve data collection and analysis, allowing policymakers to better understand treatment patterns and healthcare outcomes within India’s traditional medicine sector.

Supporting India’s digital health vision

The Ministry said integrating Ayush interventions with internationally recognised digital standards represents a major milestone in strengthening India’s traditional healthcare systems within the country’s expanding digital health infrastructure.

Standardised health intervention codes are expected to improve interoperability between healthcare platforms, making it easier to record, exchange and analyse clinical information across different healthcare settings.

Officials added that the initiative aligns with India’s broader objective of modernising healthcare delivery while preserving and promoting its traditional systems of medicine.

As work progresses on validating and finalising the coding framework, the Ministry expects the initiative to enhance global acceptance of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani practices, strengthen scientific documentation and position Indian traditional medicine more prominently within international healthcare and digital health ecosystems.