20 June 2023
The Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Healthcare (TCIH) Coalition proudly celebrates its first anniversary, highlighting a remarkable year of achievements. Over 310 healthcare organisations and 7500 patients and practitioners spanning across 80+countries, have expressed their support of the TCIH Declaration, which focuses on improved integration and regulation of TCIH globally.
In just one year, the TCIH Coalition has become a leading platform for collaboration and advocacy for TCIH globally and has been successful in connecting professionals, practitioners, researchers, and patient organisations committed to advancing TCIH practices and their integration and collaboration with primary healthcare. On this inaugural anniversary, stakeholders reflect on TCIH’s achievements and reaffirm their commitment to the TCIH Declaration.
“We are pleased to see the progress we have made during the past year,” said Iracema Benevides, Executive team member of RedePics Brasil, “Our global collaborations have facilitated partnerships between a wide range of organisations representing a diverse array of disciplines, groups and regions. This partnership has been instrumental in raising awareness among policymakers and healthcare institutions, inspiring positive changes in healthcare policies and practices.”
Notable achievements include the strengthened involvement of TCIH stakeholders, which was recognized by Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) and reflected in the recent decision of the World Health Assembly to include stakeholders in drafting the new WHO Traditional Medicine strategy. Additionally, TCIH Coalition representatives published an article on “The Role of Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Healthcare in Achieving the Goals of the Astana Declaration and Universal Health Coverage: The Development of the Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Healthcare Declaration” in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, identifying five key areas required for the advancement of TCIH and highlighting the contribution of TCIH to Primary Health Care (PHC).
This broad global support of TCIH underscores the urgent need for greater consideration of TCIH practices and people and the essential role that they can contribute to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The diverse range of signatories represents a powerful coalition, united in advocating for recognition and collaboration between traditional medicine systems, complementary therapies, and integrative healthcare approaches with mainstream healthcare worldwide.
“We look forward to continuing to engage with stakeholders globally and to working with policy makers and governments to advance the goals set out in the TCIH Declaration. The time for inclusion of TCIH into global healthcare is now,” remarked Iva Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of the World Naturopathic Federation, a sponsoring organisation of the TCIH.
For more information about the TCIH Declaration and to join our efforts, please visit www.tcih.org
About the TCIH Coalition
The People’s Declaration for TCIH has been initiated by a coalition of international and national sponsoring organisations representing a worldwide community of users and practitioners of traditional, complementary, and integrative healthcare (TCIH), with a diversity of backgrounds and experiences and a common commitment to the advancement and promotion of TCIH.
Press Contact: info@tcih.org