NRSA approves report on reform of traditional Thai medicine

BANGKOK, 3 May 2016 (NNT) – The National Reform Steering Assembly has approved a report on the reform of traditional Thai medicine.

The NRSA has recently reviewed a report from the committee on the reform of public health and the environment, which discusses an overhaul of traditional Thai medicine and the national herbal medical system

The report also recommended a draft law on herbal products and a draft law on the protection and the promotion of traditional Thai medicine.

The committee also proposed to the main assembly meeting that reform of the traditional Thai system should be implemented to help it reach the standards of modern medicine while promoting the use of herbal medicine, which has been backed by research, as a substitute for modern drugs.

It also suggested the setting up of a committee to direct the progress of traditional Thai medicine and a national herbal medical system in order to ensure the effective integration of both.

Members of the NRSA then joined the debate and reached a majority vote to approve the report.


-- NNT 2016-05-03

"The committee also proposed to the main assembly meeting that reform of the traditional Thai system should be implemented to help it reach the standards of modern medicine while promoting the use of herbal medicine, which has been backed by research, as a substitute for modern drugs."

Translation: we start with the assumption that traditional herbal medicine is good and we will scour the scientific literature for results appearing to support this conclusion.

Next up, two subcommittees to be formed.

If this were a serious government funding serious science I would be for it. However I see this as just another expansion of bureaucracy and a chance to skim profits from the traditional medicine businesses.

"The committee also proposed to the main assembly meeting that reform of the traditional Thai system should be implemented to help it reach the standards of modern medicine while promoting the use of herbal medicine, which has been backed by research, as a substitute for modern drugs."

Translation: we start with the assumption that traditional herbal medicine is good and we will scour the scientific literature for results appearing to support this conclusion.

A Different Translation:

While not stated in this article, the Thai Ministry of Health has been working for several years with the WHO's traditional medicines program. WHO is very supportive of traditional and herbal medicine, and has long been working at encouraging and helping developing counties (like Thailand) to integrate their indigenous systems of traditional and herbal medicine into their modern-day national medical systems.