The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, launched a five-day editorial workshop on 13 July 2026 to refine the high-level structure of the alpha draft of the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) framework and to develop its content model. Running from 13 to 17 July 2026, the workshop marks a significant step towards positioning India's traditional medicine systems within the global digital health ecosystem and the Universal Health Coverage framework.
The workshop is organised 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). It brings together leading scientific experts, institute heads and international informatics professionals to finalise a scientifically robust, layered hierarchy of National Health Intervention Codes (NHIC) for the Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) systems. The exercise builds on a foundational draft prepared during consultative meetings held in May 2026.
The expert-validated collection currently covers, for Ayurveda, 13 specialty areas, 76 therapies and 714 procedures; for Siddha, 25 specialty areas, 130 treatment methods and 996 procedures; and for Unani, 15 specialty areas, 179 treatment methods and 551 procedures.
Addressing the inaugural session, Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha described the initiative as more than a coding process, calling it a transformative step to embed India's traditional systems within the global scientific, digital and policy ecosystem. Joint Secretary Dr Kavita Jain elaborated on the long-term policy implications, while WHO representatives Dr Robert Jakob and Dr Stefan Espinosa focused on global interoperability and digital informatics.