Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said, the country is honoured to be home to a state-of-the-art WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. In a series of tweets today, Mr. Modi said, Indian traditional medicines and wellness practices are very popular globally. He said, this WHO Centre will go a long way in enhancing wellness in our society. He added that the Centre will contribute towards making a healthier planet and leveraging our rich traditional practices for global good.<br />''<br />''In another tweet, the Prime Minister lauded the efforts of Indian Embassy in Doha for organizing yoga lesson for 114 nationalities at Doha in Qatar. He said, Yoga is uniting the world in pursuit of good health and wellness.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">WHO and the Government has agreed to establish the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, to maximize the potential of traditional medicines through modern science and technology.<br />''<br />''The Ministry of Ayush has signed the Host Country Agreement with World Health Organization for establishing WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar in Gujarat.<br />''<br />''WHO in a statement said, the global knowledge centre for traditional medicine, supported by an investment of 250 million dollar from the Government of India, aims to harness the potential of traditional medicine from across the world through modern science and technology to improve health of people and the planet.<br />''<br />''The Agreement was signed yesterday in Geneva by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush and Director General, WHO Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Last month, the Union Cabinet had approved the establishment of the Centre.<br />''<br />''Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his message for the historic event said that it is heartening to learn about the signing agreement for the establishment of Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. He said, through various initiatives, our government has been tireless in its endeavour to make preventive and curative healthcare, affordable and accessible to all. He said, the global centre at Jamnagar will help in providing the best healthcare solutions to the world.<br />''<br />''Highlighting the importance of Government of India initiative, the Director-General of WHO Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that harnessing the potential of traditional medicine by drawing on modern science and principles of equity and sustainability will be a game-changer for health in the 21st century.<br />''<br />''Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, for many millions of people around the world, traditional medicine is the first port of call to treat many diseases. He said, ensuring all people have access to safe and effective treatment is an essential part of WHO's mission, and this new center will help to harness the power of science to strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine.<br />''<br />''The WHO Chief said, he is grateful to the Government of India for its support, and they look forward to making it a success.<br />''<br />''GCTM will be the first and only Global Centre (office) for traditional medicine across the globe. It will focus on building the solid evidence base for policies and standards on traditional medicine practices and products and help countries integrate it as appropriate into their health systems and regulate its quality and safety for optimal and sustainable impact.</span><br />