PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre Spotlight Series
Reference Number: PER-10
Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC on Traditional and Complimentary Medicine
Institution: Gerencia de Medicina Complementaria, Gerencia Central de Prestaciones de Salud, Seguro Social de Salud (EsSalud)
Reference Number: CAN-102
Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC on Family Medicine and Primary Care
Institution: Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto
Reference Number: USA-407
Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC for Herbal Medicines
Institution: College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
Category 4 (SP 14-19)
Outcome 1, 8 (SP 20-25)
Mr. Hernan Luque, Advisor, Organization and Management of Health Services and Dr. José Luis Castro, Advisor, Rational Use of Medicines are the PAHO staff members who acts as the Region’s focal point to coordinate the collaboration between the institution and the Organization.
The main activities of these Centres include: (1) training and exchanging information; (2) collecting and organizing knowledge on traditional and complementary medicine; and (3) improving access to health using an intercultural approach.
The Centre at EsSalud has delivered training courses on designing and implementing policies related to traditional, complementary and integrative medicine within the health care system. The Centre is also reviewing and contributing to a sub-regional catalog of Medicinal Plants of South America used in traditional and complementary medicine. In conjunction to this, the Centre has launched a series of seminars to improve knowledge and information about medicinal herbs aimed at local Ministry of Health staff in Peru.
The Centre is also supporting the Organization to improve access to health through an intercultural approach by hosting visits from health workers from Ecuador’s Ministry of Health to learn about Andean traditional medicine and the functioning of these traditional centres in Lima. In addition, the Centre also hosted a visit for staff from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine at the Korean Institute of Oriental Medicine in South Korea. During this time, staff visited traditional medicine centres in Peru and exchanged information on the delivery of traditional medicine. The Centre is currently working on publications related to improving access to health using research on the pharmacological effects of herbal medicines.
Currently, the Centre at the University of Toronto and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) works mainly with WHO and there are no deliverables to report within the Region.
Webnotes such as these serve to inform on how CCs are contributing to the Organization’s priorities and mandates.