KUALA LANGAT: The Ministry of Health is evaluating the potential of traditional indigenous medicine for official recognition under the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act 2016.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad stated that Malaysia has already established a regulatory framework under the Act for seven other alternative medicine practices.
“This involves documenting their traditional practice, which is crucial, followed by engaging with practitioners to map out those who are well-established, especially across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Sarawak.”
He explained that the ultimate goal is to recognise their strengths and enable mutual referencing for specific cases like orthopaedic treatments.
Dzulkefly emphasised that the effort aims to include traditional indigenous medicine as a meaningful part of the national healthcare system.
Engagement sessions have so far involved over 373 participants from more than 25 indigenous communities across Malaysia.
These sessions included open dialogues and field visits where traditional medical knowledge and practices were documented.
The minister stressed that this matter requires thoughtful consideration of practitioners’ concerns, including intellectual property and benefit sharing.
“MOH is also committed to streamlining the processes needed to empower and officially recognise traditional indigenous medicine as a form of complementary medicine,” he added. – Bernama