WHO chief Tedros arrives in India to attend Gujarat events with PM Modi

Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, landed in Gujarat’s Rajkot on Monday night, and said that he is ‘grateful for a warm welcome’. Tedros is on a three-day visit to the state. He also said that he is looking forward to the events with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his home state.

“Just arrived in India and grateful for a warm welcome from the ministry of Ayush representatives. Looking forward to events which will set the foundation for integrating traditional medicine with modern health, and benefit people worldwide,” he wrote on Twitter.

The WHO chief, along with PM Modi on Tuesday will lay the foundation stone of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar. The GCTM will be the only global outpost centre for traditional medicine across the world.

The Centre aims to channel the potential of traditional medicine, by integrating it with technological advancements and evidence-based research.

The GCTM shall focus on four main strategic areas: evidence and learning; data and analytics; sustainability and equity; and innovation and technology to optimize the contribution of traditional medicine to global health.

WHO chief Tedros also interacted with the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya about their commitment towards promoting Ayurveda to further global health.

“Had an excellent interaction with DG of @WHO @DrTedros during our visit to the All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi. We talked about our commitment towards promoting Ayurveda to further global health and wellness,” tweeted Mansukh Mandaviya.