Traditional credibility

India must address quackery in alternative medicine

The ground-breaking ceremony for the establishment of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat, should be a welcome development in a country where millions of Indians rely on alternative medicine for their health needs. In his inauguration speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the deeper challenge in the global spread of traditional medicine disciplines such as Ayurveda, Unani, a central Asian import, Homeopathy, developed by a German physician, or Siddha, a southern Indian tradition. He underlined the need to ensure traditional Indian medicine meets global standards. This is a vital requirement because such