The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, launched a five-day editorial workshop on July 13, 2026, scheduled to run through July 17, 2026, focused on developing the content model and refining the high-level structure of the alpha draft of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) framework for Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani systems. The workshop is organized by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) through its WHO Collaborating Centre, the National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (NIIMH), Hyderabad (designated CC IND-177).
The initiative aims to position India's traditional medicine systems within the global digital health ecosystem and universal health coverage frameworks. The workshop builds upon base drafts prepared during consultative meetings held in May 2026 and 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 ASU systems.
The current expert-validated repository covers extensive procedural data: 13 specialties with 76 therapies and 714 procedures for Ayurveda; 25 specialties with 130 therapies and 996 procedures for Siddha; and 15 specialties with 179 therapies and 551 procedures for Unani.
During the inaugural session, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary of the Ministry of Ayush, emphasized the strategic value of the initiative, stating it represents a transformational step toward integrating standardized health terminologies that will ensure Ayush interventions become 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 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) and 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), with opening remarks delivered by Dr. N. Srikanth (Deputy Director General, CCRAS), who underlined the significance of standardized terminology in elevating scientific credibility.