CONFERENCE DISCUSSES DEVELOPMENT OF TRADITIONAL MONGOLIAN MEDICINE

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Under the auspices of the Prime Minister, the First International Conference on Traditional Mongolian Medicine took place in the State House on December 8. The Conference was attended by Mongolia’s leading traditional medicine practitioners and academics and guest scholars from Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India and Poland, who emphasized the importance of producing innovation-based health products by combining traditional Mongolian medicine with modern science. The Conference was co-organized by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports and the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences. During the opening ceremony, messages of President Kh.Battulga and Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh were conveyed to the conference attendees. The President remarked on the credibility and value of traditional Mongolian medicine, naming priority directions for the traditional medicine practitioners including making a new health policy out of traditional Mongolian methods for prevention of illness and healthy living which have passed the test of time, prioritizing academic studies which can yield practical results, framing and carrying out a specific policy intended to solve the daily challenges of traditional medicine practitioners and improving their capability and quality of service, and improving the partnership of public and private sectors in this area. “The only gateway through which traditional Mongolian medicine can develop to be a global brand is scientific study and evidence,” said Z.Enkhbold, Chief of Staff of the President’s Office, who delivered the message. In her opening speech, Health Minister D.Sarangerel said, “Although government policy on traditional Mongolian medicine has not been adequate and consistent enough over the years, the practice is still strong among us.” The Minister also highlighted the need to effectively combine the traditional practices with modern technology so as to produce better results. The World Health Organization reported in 2003 that only 25 countries were reported having a national policy for traditional medicine by 2000, and Mongolia is one of them. Kh.Aminaa