Traditional medicine and complementary/alternative medicine (TM/CAM) have been used,
through the ages, in all countries of the WHO South-East Asia Region (SEAR). Many countries
in this Region have extensive systems of TM within existing health services. In the rural areas
of countries such as India, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, a large proportion of the population
use traditional medicines to meet their primary health care needs. Due to this long history,
the roles of TM and its practitioners have been recognized by the governments in this
Region, with national policies and regulations on TM being implemented in many of these
countries.