Discuss the significance of institutionalising Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) cooperation within BRICS. How can India leverage its Ayush ecosystem in this framework?

The 16th BRICS Health Ministers' Declaration, adopted at Chandigarh in July 2026 under India's BRICS Chairship, carried the grouping's first dedicated section on TCIM and welcomed a BRICS Expert Working Group on TCIM — what the WHO called the most significant political recognition of traditional medicine in BRICS health cooperation [1][2]. Institutionalisation converts episodic expert meetings into a standing mechanism.

Significance of institutionalising TCIM cooperation

• Structured continuity: consensus-based Terms of Reference, finalised at the Chandigarh TCIM meeting of 21 July 2026, give sustained engagement among policymakers, researchers and academic institutions instead of one-off dialogues [3].
• Evidence generation: the mandate covers multi-country collaborative studies, exchange of scientific methodologies, clinical validation and registration of TCIM trials in WHO-recognised registries — addressing the credibility deficit that limits global acceptance [1].
• Global South health governance: a nine-member grouping (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa plus Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE) legitimises knowledge systems long marginalised in Western-dominated regulatory forums [3].
• Universal Health Coverage: TCIM is recognised for strengthening health systems and advancing UHC, aligning with the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 [1][3].
• Digital and regulatory convergence: cooperation on digital knowledge platforms, AI in TCIM research, and quality standards, alongside protection of traditional and indigenous knowledge [1][3].

Leveraging India's Ayush ecosystem

• Institutional depth: the Ministry of Ayush, working jointly with the Health Ministry under the Health Track, offers a whole-of-government template few members possess [2].
• Research anchoring: India hosts the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre, which the Declaration explicitly aligns with — positioning India as the natural convenor of joint clinical validation [1].
• Capacity building: faculty and academic exchange, teleconsultation and standard-setting can be offered as public goods.
• Knowledge protection: India's experience in digitising traditional knowledge can shape shared IP safeguards.

Institutionalisation thus transforms Ayush from a domestic strength into a durable instrument of India's health diplomacy. If India converts its convening advantage into rigorous, jointly-validated evidence, the Working Group can make traditional medicine a mainstream pillar of Global South cooperation on UHC.