TM/CAM Policy World Health Organization

The WHO Traditional Medicines Strategy 2002–2005 reviews the status of TM/CAM globally, and outlines WHO’s own role and activities in TM/CAM. But more importantly it provides a framework for action for WHO and its partners, aimed at enabling TM/CAM to play a far greater role in reducing excess mortality and morbidity, especially among impoverished populations.

The strategy incorporates four objectives:

Policy — Integrate TM/CAM with national health care systems, as appropriate, by developing and implementing national TM/CAM policies and programmes. Safety, efficacy and quality — Promote the safety, efficacy and quality of TM/CAM by expanding the knowledgebase on TM/CAM, and by providing guidance on regulatory and quality assurance standards. Access — Increase the availability and affordability of TM/CAM, as appropriate, with an emphasis on access for poor populations. Rational use — Promote therapeutically sound use of appropriate TM/CAM by providers and consumers.

Source: WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002–2005

WHO Legal Status of Traditional Medicine and Complementary/Alternative Medicine: A Worldwide Review, 2001

Analysis of the legal status of TM/CAM in 123 countries around the world.

WHO Global Atlas of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Through global and regional maps and tables, the map volume provides a visual representation of topics such as the popularity of herbal/traditional medicine, Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, bone-setting, spiritual therapies, and others; national legislation and traditional medicine policy; public financing; legal recognition of traditional medicine practitioners by their area of therapy; education and professional regulation; conventional health-care practitioners who are entitled to provide various traditional, complementary and alternative therapies; and many other aspects.

The text volume expands and supplements the map volume through detailed accounts of the development of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine in 23 countries across the world, as well as overviews of the status in each of the six WHO Regions.