BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - are home to a total of more than 3 billion people, accounting for more than 40 percent of the world's population, and integrating traditional medicine into the countries' healthcare systems is crucial for achieving universal healthcare coverage, Shin Young-soo, World Health Organization regional director for the western Pacific, said in a speech during the meeting.

Wang Guoqiang, head of China's State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said: "Health cooperation has been an important part of cooperation between BRICS nations."

"Traditional medicine has played an indispensable role in protecting national health and carrying forward civilization, and intensifying cooperation in traditional medicine between BRICS nations is of great significance to benefiting people worldwide," Wang said.

Chen Kaixian, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who specializes in drug research, said, "To cope with global health challenges, such as common chronic noncommunicable diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and increasing medical costs, different countries need to integrate traditional medicine into the their modern medical and healthcare systems.

"For example, traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes healthcare and prevention of disease, and it can also be an effective means to help reduce medical costs."