World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific

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Regional Committee seeks integration of traditional medicine in health services

Member States of the Western Pacific Region were urged to develop national policies for traditional medicine by the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific* meeting in Brunei Darussalam. Since the introduction of modern medicine into the countries of the Region, traditional medicine had in most cases been rejected by mainstream health services.

The Committee, the World Health Organization's governing body, took note of the contributions traditional medicine makes to maintaining the health of the people of the Region and its potential role in improving health services in the Region.

Traditional medicine has been practised in parts of the Region for thousands of years. Because of the wealth of experience and knowledge accumulated over the centuries, the Western Pacific Region is in a position to lead the world. Traditional medicine also plays an important economic role in many countries.

Over the past years, the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific has provided strong support for traditional medicine.

""What we do in our Region will have an impact on the practice and acceptance of traditional medicine throughout the world,"" said Dr Shigeru Omi, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.

In a report to the Committee, Dr Omi said WHO had developed a more comprehensive traditional medicine programme in the Region. It now includes such areas as standardization of traditional medicine, control of heavy metal and pesticide residues in herbal medicines, monitoring adverse reactions to herbal medicines, conservation of plants with medicinal value and intellectual property rights.

The Committee endorsed the Regional Strategy for Traditional Medicine in the Western Pacific to serve as a framework for the development of national traditional medicine programmes.

The Regional Strategy for Traditional Medicine has seven major objectives:

  • to develop a national policy for traditional medicine;
  • to promote public awareness of and access to traditional medicine;
  • to evaluate the economic potential of traditional medicine
  • to establish appropriate standards for traditional medicine
  • to encourage and strengthen research into evidence-based practice of traditional medicine;
  • to foster respect for the cultural integrity of traditional medicine; and 
  • to formulate policies on the protection and conservation of health resources.

Despite extensive practice, traditional medicine is not always included as part of the health system recognized by the government. There are still many countries where traditional medicine's potential role to improve health and health services, as well as its possible role in social and economic development, is neglected.
For more information, email Dr Chen Ken, Regional Adviser on Traditional medicine: or Mr Charles Raby, Public Information Officer at (63 2) 528 9983 or email:


*The 37 countries and areas comprising the WHO Western Pacific Region are: American Samoa, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hong Kong (China), Japan, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Macao (China), Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, and Wallis and Futuna.


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