- Why in news
- On 13 July 2026, the Ministry of Ayush began a five-day workshop (13-17 July) to build the content model and refine the structure of the alpha draft of WHO's ICHI framework for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani.
- What it is
- The International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI) is a WHO classification that gives standard codes to health interventions. It sits alongside ICD (diseases) and ICF (functioning) in the WHO Family of International Classifications. It lets countries record, report and compare interventions in digital health systems and universal health coverage planning.
- Dates and purpose
- The workshop runs from 13 to 17 July 2026. It develops the content model and refines the high-level structure of the ICHI alpha draft.
- Organiser
- CCRAS organises it through its WHO Collaborating Centre, NIIMH Hyderabad (CC IND-177).
- National codes
- The aim is a layered hierarchy of National Health Intervention Codes (NHIC) for the ASU systems.
- Repository size
- Ayurveda has 13 specialties, 76 therapies and 714 procedures. Siddha has 25, 130 and 996. Unani has 15, 179 and 551.
- Earlier work
- The workshop builds on base drafts from consultative meetings held in May 2026.
- WHO classification family
- ICHI is a WHO classification for interventions, a companion to ICD for diseases.
Don’t confuse with ICHI vs ICD: ICHI classifies health interventions (what is done). ICD classifies diseases and health conditions (what is diagnosed).
Don’t confuse with NIIMH vs GTMC: NIIMH Hyderabad is the CCRAS WHO Collaborating Centre hosting this workshop. WHO's Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) is at Jamnagar.
International bodies and relations: the largest group of news questions in Prelims (61 since 2013), often about background, members and location. In Mains, 27 news-triggered questions, mostly on India's interests.
Why it matters
- Standard codes make Ayush interventions visible in digital health records and insurance systems.
- Common terminology supports research, data comparison and global recognition of traditional medicine.
Problems
- Traditional therapies are complex and vary across schools and practitioners, so standard definitions are hard to agree on.
- Linking the codes with ICD-11 and national digital health systems needs technical capacity.
Way forward
- Finalise the codes with WHO and integrate them into the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission records.
- Train practitioners and update the codes as evidence grows.
Put in your answer
Ayush repository coverage: Expert-validated codes already cover three ASU systems with hundreds of procedures each, a data point for standardisation of traditional medicine.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Links traditional medicine to a WHO framework; lasting topic, but few testable facts. International bodies are the largest Prelims kind (61 of 327).
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.