Overview
- The New Delhi Declaration adopted on Sunday formally welcomed a proposal to set up a BRICS Expert Working Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) to sit under the BRICS Health Track.
- Officials said the move follows a July 21 meeting in Chandigarh where member states discussed cooperation and reached consensus on terms of reference for the proposed group.
- The working group is expected to focus on multi‑country collaborative studies, clinical validation, exchange of research methods and documentation of best practices to strengthen the evidence base for TCIM.
- India’s Ayush ministry framed the initiative as a platform to promote Ayurveda and other national systems through rigorous research, quality assurance and international collaboration.
- Key implementation details such as formal membership, workplans, funding and timelines remain to be negotiated and will determine how quickly joint studies, harmonized pharmacopoeial standards and regulatory alignment are delivered, with potential effects on patient care, product development and cross‑border herbal trade.