The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, launched a five-day editorial workshop on July 13, 2026, scheduled to run through July 17, 2026, to develop the content model and refine 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 (CC IND-177), and brings together scientific experts, institutional heads, and international informatics professionals to finalize a scientifically robust, layered hierarchy of National Health Intervention Codes (NHIC) for these traditional medicine systems.
The initiative builds upon base drafts prepared during consultative meetings held in May 2026 and aims to position India's traditional medicine systems within the global digital health ecosystem and universal health coverage frameworks. The expert-validated repository currently covers extensive content across the three systems: 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.
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 positioning India's traditional medical systems within the global scientific, digital, and policy ecosystem. He noted that incorporating standardized health terminologies will ensure Ayush interventions become integral to broader digital health ecosystems, matching modern health informatics standards. Dr. Kavita Jain, Joint Secretary of the 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 of CCRUM; Prof. Dr. N.J. Muthukumar, Director General of CCRS; and Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of 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 of GTMC Jamnagar, alongside addresses from WHO representatives Dr. Robert Jakob, Data Standards and Informatics Team Leader, and Dr. Stephane Espinosa, Consultant at WHO, who focused on global interoperability and alignment with digital informatics. The program commenced with a formal welcome by Dr. Goli Penchala Prasad, AD I/c of CCRAS-NIIMH, Hyderabad, and opening remarks by Dr. N. Srikanth, Deputy Director General of CCRAS, who underlined the significance of standardized terminology in elevating scientific credibility.