Traditional Medicine (TM) has been popularly and increasingly used by both high and low income countries for different purposes during recent decades. For example, 60% to 80% of poor populations still depend on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs including some Member States in the South-East Asian Region. For example, 65% in India and 50% in Indonesia. Also, 70% of the population in Canada and 80% in Germany have also used traditional medicine as complementary and alternative treatment.
Today, therefore, certain forms of traditional, complementary and alternative medicines play an increasingly important role in health-care and health sector reforms globally. Hence, the safety, efficacy and quality of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) have become important concerns for both health authorities and the public. Another concern is the economic aspect and the protection of knowledge of traditional medicine.
The latest resolution on traditional medicine adopted at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 2003, urged Member States, where appropriate, to formulate and implement national policies and regulations on traditional medicine and to integrate them into national health-care systems, depending on the circumstances in their countries.
After the three-years of implementation of the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy (2002-2005), country progress has already been made in the field of traditional medicine, and this was shown by the results of the WHO global survey on national policy and regulation of Traditional and Complementary/Alternative Medicine. Therefore, reviewing the countries progress and their existed challenges and difficulties is very important for WHO to further clarify its function and role and the future direction of promotion and development of TM/CAM development.
In order to share national experience and information and to develop guidance for facilitating countries to integrate TM/CAM into national health systems, WHO Department of Technical Cooperation for Essential Drugs and Traditional Medicine was organized a working group meeting on 12-14 June 2006. The objectives of the meeting are to:
review and analyse the categories within national health systems with regard to the role of TM/CAM;
share national experiences and information on the integration of TM/CAM into national health systems;
discuss the definition and criteria of the integration of TM/CAM and the key steps for integration of TM/CAM into national health systems.
Challenges and difficulties
During the discussion of WHO working group meeting, participants have been aware that integration TM/CAM into national health system will be involved varieties political and technical areas such as commented that before national health authorities more focus on the regulation and safety and efficacy of herbal medicines. Now more and more national authorities understand that if without legally recognize the TM/CAM therapies and set up standard for qualifying practice of TM/CAM, it is impossible to insure safety and efficacy for our patients and consumers. However there are lack opportunity and channel to facilitate communication and sharing countries experience for both national authorities who are in charge of different issues of requirements for herbal medicines and practice and practitioners.
Objectives of the forum
The objectives of the Forum are to:
Share countries experience and information related to the national policy and regulations related to the herbal medicines and TM/CAM therapies and practice
Discuss the challenges and gaps between the marketing supplement of herbal medicines and using herbal medicines by the practitioners
Share countries experience and information on how to strengthen communication and cooperation between national authorities
Share countries experience and information on how to step by step to integrate TM/CAM into national healthy system
Participants
- national and regional drug regulatory authorities
- national health authorities
- national research and education agencies
Good example countries:
R. Korea
Hong Kong, SAR, China
Bolivia
Sri Lanka
Singapore
UK
Canada
Norway
Australia | 
Up-to-date Information 
The Suggested Topics of the Theses：
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