DR. THAKUR CALLS FOR PROTECTION OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY RIGHTS
Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. C.P.
Thakur has called for safeguards on protection of traditional
medicinal knowledge intellectual property rights. Dr Thakur was
speaking at the Pre-WHA (World Health Assembly) meeting of Commonwealth
Health Ministers at Geneva today. He urged the Commonwealth Health
Ministers to take initiative to protect their country’s interest
and asked the Commonwealth Secretariat to work out the guidelines
for the legal framework required for protection of traditional
medicinal knowledge intellectual property rights in collaboration
with National Law University at Bangalore. The proposal was widely
supported and adopted. The Commonwealth Secretariat is likely
to place the draft legal framework before the next meeting of
Commonwealth Health Ministers.
Dr. C.P. Thakur also informed the Commonwealth
Ministers that India has already developed a Traditional Knowledge
Digital Library with more than 30,000 remedies for diseases. He
said, India could offer and provide technical expertise and software
to countries that are interested in developing database for protection
of their traditional knowledge of IPRs.
Speaking on the occasion of the Pre-WHA meeting
of Commonwealth Health Minister, Dr. Thakur said the Commonwealth
Health Development Programme has always laid emphasis on the importance
of traditional medicine in the medicine strategy. This is particularly
relevant for improving access to essential drugs at affordable
prices. India is fortunate to have time-tested traditional systems
of medicine acceptable to people across the country. Medicinal
Plant Boards have been established to improve the quality of medicinal
plants, which constitute 90% of the raw material, used in preparation
of traditional drugs.
Pre-WHA Meeting of Commonwealth Health Ministers
has been providing a forum to discuss priority health issues such
as Human Resource Development for Health, HIV / AIDS, Health Sector
Reforms and Traditional Health Systems. The Commonwealth Secretariat
has also done work in formulating the Code of Practice for International
Recruitment of Health Workers and Commonwealth Action Plan for
Nursing and Midwifery.
India will be organising a presentation-cum-exhibition
on traditional systems of medicines on May 15, 2002 during the
Conference.
