WHO Launches Traditional Medicine Morbidity Codes

• 11 Jan 2024

On 10^th January, 2024, the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially unveiled the Traditional Medicine Morbidity codes of Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani as Module 2 in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 11, during an event in Delhi.

Key Points

• Inclusion in ICD 11: The introduction of Module 2 signifies the incorporation of data and terminology related to diseases based on Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani systems into the WHO's ICD 11 classification.
• The module consists of 529 codes across 18 chapters, encompassing Traditional Medicine Disorders and Traditional Medicine Patterns.
• Global Uniformity in ASU Medicine: The inclusion of Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani data in the ICD 11 classification is a significant step toward global uniformity in Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha (ASU) medicine, establishing a standardized vocabulary for defining diseases.
• Impact on Healthcare Practices: The effort is expected to strengthen and expand India's public healthcare delivery system, research, Ayush insurance coverage, research and development, and policy-making systems.
• The codes will play a crucial role in formulating strategies to control various diseases in society, enhancing international collaboration.
• Collaboration with WHO: The Ministry of Ayush has collaborated with WHO to develop a categorization of data and terminology related to diseases based on Ayush systems.
• This initiative aligns with the National Ayush Morbidity and Standardised Electronic Portal (NAMSTE) and is supported by a Donor Agreement with the World Health Organization.
• Implementation in Other Countries: Many member countries of the WHO have expressed interest in adopting a similar format to include traditional medical disease terminology in the ICD.
• This international coding effort covers infectious diseases like Malaria and lifestyle diseases such as chronic insomnia, providing standardized recognition for prevalent diseases in Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani Medicine.
• Vertigo Guidance Disorder Inclusion: Disorders like Vertigo Guidance Disorder, recognized by the three traditional systems as a nervous system disorder, will now have international coding under ICD-11, reflecting the terminology used in Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani.