YANGON, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar official media Thursday urged all practitioners in the country to make efforts for the promotion of Myanmar traditional medicines through cooperation with the international community.

    "To be able to uplift the health standard of the people, Myanmar will cooperate on approval of Beijing Declaration on traditional medicine," the New Light of Myanmar newspaper said in its editorial.

    The Congress of Traditional Medicine of the World Health Organization (WHO) was held in Beijing, China in the first weekend of this month which Myanmar took part in.

    The Myanmar delegation discussed matters on Myanmar traditional medicine including measures being taken for conducting research on treatment of six major diseases -- diabetes, hypertension, malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhea and dysentery through traditional medicine, according to the newspaper.

    Myanmar possesses valuable herbal plants, rare plant species and priceless traditional medicine.

    The government has called on traditional medicine practitioners in the country to protect and preserve them from depletion and extinction and to ensure their perpetual existence.

    At the same time, the practitioners are also urged to harmoniously strive for the promotion of the standard of Myanmar traditional medicine to reach international level.

    According to the health authorities, Myanmar has made arrangements for the development of the traditional medicine in line with the set standards, opening diploma courses and practitioner courses to train out skilled experts in the field.

    A decade ago, Myanmar's Institute of Traditional Medicine conferred diplomas on traditional medicine to those who had completed two-year theoretical course and one-year practical course.

    In 2001, Myanmar established its University of Traditional Medicine in Mandalay, the second largest city, where traditional medicine, anatomy and physiology, microbiology and medicine and Chinese acupuncture are taught.

    Meanwhile, Myanmar has set up the first national herbal park in the new capital of Nay Pyi Taw to grow herbal and medicinal plants used in producing medicines for treating various diseases.

    The 81-hectare National Herbal Park, aimed at becoming an international-level one, was established by the Ministry of Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development Affairs.

    Over 20,000 herbal and medicinal plants of over 700 species from some 10 states and divisions for producing medicines used in treating diseases like cholera, diarrheas, dysentery, hypertension, diabetes, malaria and tuberculosis are being grown in the park.

    Encouragement has also been made to set up large traditional medicine industries with the private sector to produce potent drugs for common diseases, herbal gardens for medicinal plant conservation and find means to treat patients with the combined potency of the Western and Myanmar traditional medicine.

    As the traditional medicine playing a more and more important role in treating diseases in the country, the government placed more emphasis on the aspects.

    As part of the development, Myanmar has also been sponsoring traditional medicine conference annually since 2000, attended by traditional medicine practitioners, to promote its medical practices.

    There are 12 traditional medicine hospitals and 214 such clinics in the country with services provided by nearly 10,000 practitioners, earlier statistics showed.

    The Myanmar traditional medicine, composed of such ingredients as roots, tubers, bulbs, natural items and animal products, has in a historical perspective, represented the typical Myanmar culture and traditional value and norms.