The Seventh Meeting of the BIMSTEC Task Force on Traditional Medicine (Seventh BTFTM) was held on 26–27 November 2025 at the Pegasus Reef Hotel in Wattala. Hon. Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni, Deputy Minister of Health, graced the occasion as the chief guest. Representatives from the BIMSTEC Secretariat, the Kingdom of Bhutan, the Republic of India, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Nepal, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and the Kingdom of Thailand, as well as officials from the Ministry of Health and Mass Media and the Department of Ayurveda, participated in the meeting.
The meeting reviewed the implementation of the Plan of Action for the Development of Traditional Medicine in the BIMSTEC region, including progress on developing a BIMSTEC Traditional Medicine Portal, conducting systematic reviews of research on traditional medicine used for COVID-19 and diabetes, harmonizing curricula and establishing mutual recognition of traditional medicine degrees, establishing Centres of Excellence on Traditional Medicine and protecting traditional medicine knowledge, genetic resources, and intellectual property rights.
