Page 38 - Proceedings of The Fifth Meeting of Indigenous Medicine in the Mekong Basin

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Lao PDR has a long history on the use of Traditional Medicine, traditional
medicine continues to provide tools for treating diseases. Government support the
use of Medicinal plant and Traditional Medicine in Health care system, Encourage
both public and private sectors to contribute to the development of the MP&TM
sector

III. Policy, Law and Regulation
 National Drug Policy Program on Traditional Medicine (TTM is one of the 13
components) (1993 and 2003)
 Ministerial Degree on Traditional Medicine 1996
 Law on Drug and Medical products (2000)
 Prime ministerial Decree no. 115 (2003) on the promotion the use and
preservation of medicinal natural recourses.

Impact of the laws and regulations
 Inclusion of 21 medicines derived from medicinal plants in to Essential Drug List.
 Establishment of Medicinal Plant Preserves
 Number of traditional medicines increased
 Number of registered traditional medicines increased
o 55 items (domestic products)
o 80 items (imported products) and
o 6 items (domestic health products)

IV. Institute of Traditional Medicine
Institute of Traditional Medicine (ITM) as a focal point of the network of
traditional medicine should be strengthened in order to implement the policy of Lao
Government regarding the use traditional medicine. At the same time, strategies for
harmonization and integration with conventional medicine and traditional medicine
should be developed in the near future.
ITM has 6 Divisions:
- Administrative Bureau
- Pharmacognosy Division
- Research and Development Center
- Cultivation of Medicinal plant Center
- Development Traditional Medicine
- Traditional Medicine Treatment Center
Organization chart

Ministry of Health

Food and Drug

department

Traditional Medicine

Division

Pharmaceutical Institute of Traditional
Pharmaceutical
Factory No 3 Medicine
Factory No 2
Provincial
Traditional Station