BRICS Summit Endorses Establishment of Expert Working Group on Traditional Medicine

The New Delhi Declaration adopted at the 18th BRICS Summit has formally endorsed the establishment of a dedicated BRICS Expert Working Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) under the bloc's Health Track. According to an official press release issued by the Union Ministry of Ayush through PIB, member nations accepted the framework to institutionalize multilateral cooperation, joint scientific research, and evidence generation across traditional healthcare systems. The proposal follows consensus reached during the BRICS TCIM Ministerial Meeting held earlier in Chandigarh under India's presidency. The newly approved working group will function as a structured platform for regulatory alignment, protection of indigenous knowledge, quality assurance, and academic exchanges among BRICS countries. It also emphasizes collaborative research into medicinal plants and herbal formulations to support Universal Health Coverage. Union Minister of State for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav welcomed the inclusion of TCIM in the summit's final declaration, noting that it validates India's leadership in promoting Ayurveda and other Ayush modalities globally. Ayush Ministry officials highlighted that establishing shared pharmacopoeias and standardized research protocols across BRICS nations will improve access to safe, evidence-based, and affordable complementary healthcare worldwide.