Integration of Traditional and Complementary Medicine in Primary Health Care in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Summary
Description
Agency: WHO | Reference: WPRO/2026-05/DHS/299627 | Type: Request for proposal
WHO is seeking for a qualified, eligible and competent proposer for the Integration of Traditional and Complementary Medicine in Primary Health Care in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic .
Specifically, the contractor will provide technical support to WHO to support Health and Governance sectors in Lao PDR to engage and leverage local traditional practitioners in Primary Health Care under Tasaeng (Sub-district, the newly established lowest administrative level). The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) Primary Health Care and Universal Health Coverage Unit aims to support evidence-based, equitable access to PHC and communities’ informed health choices by valuing cultural heritage and local knowledge towards realizing universal health coverage (UHC).
This links to the strategic objective 3 of the Global traditional medicine strategy 2025–2034 which aims to integrate TCIM practices at the primary healthcare level.
In the culturally diverse Western Pacific region where a high proportion of healthcare use occurs outside the formal public system, it is important to harness the influence of trusted local leaders and traditional practitioners to build relationships with health services and develop effective care pathways and service delivery models, including referrals.
In Lao PDR, the promotion and integration of traditional medicine has been part of the Ministry of Health (MOH) policy since 1996, and is outlined in the recently updated National Strategy on Traditional Medicine (2025 – 2030).
One of the key gaps identified from the previous Strategy was the adequate inclusion of traditional practitioners into primary healthcare and integration with conventional medicine for preventive care.In Lao PDR, the government-led CONNECT initiative has effectively utilized a community-led participatory planning approach to improve service access and utilization and build trust, an approach which is now being integrated into pre- and in-service education of government staff through the University of Health Sciences and the Central Committee for Organization and Personnel (CCOP). During 2026, the government is implementing nationwide restructuring, aiming to strengthen grassroots governance and improve public service efficiency and accessibility through the development of sub-districts known as "Tasaeng." This plan will establish more than 600 sub-districts across the country, overseen by the Central Committee for Organization and Personnel, including a Cultural and Social Development Unit which will manage public services including PHC.
The Department of Local Administration (DoLA) and the Institute of Organization and Public Administration (IOPA), both under the Central Committee for Organization and Personnel (CCOP), have agreed to leverage the lessons learned from CONNECT to develop an effective Ta Saeng model for replication and scale-up nationwide, beginning with one Tasaeng per district.
Therefore, there is an opportunity to further build on this established method and collaboration to support DoLA and IOPA to integrate the role of traditional practitioners into the Tasaeng model development to improve PHC access and delivery, and support UHS to integrate community engagement approaches into the pre-service training within the traditional pharmacy programme for more effective linkage with traditional practitioners.Please use the subject lineWHO Bid Reference WPRO/2026-05/DHS/299627in all email submissions.
Proposals must be submitted towproungm@who.intandwprosdq@who.intno later than10 May 2026, 12 midnight, UTC +12.
DOCUMENTS AND LINKS:
• RFP SDQ TCM Integration into PHC Lao PDR.pdf: https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/DownloadDocument?noticeId=299627&documentId=2011485
• Annexes.docx: https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/DownloadDocument?noticeId=299627&documentId=2011492
• Download all documents: https://www.ungm.org/Public/Notice/DownloadAllDocuments?noticeId=299627
CONTACT:
• Email: wproungm@who.int
About This Opportunity
This is a services contract in the governance and public administration, health and medical services, gender and inclusion, culture and heritage and education and training sectors. Located in Lao People's Democratic Republic, Asia, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums. Proposals must be submitted before May 10, 2026.
Published through UNGM - United Nations Global Marketplace, part of the United Nations system, which follows UN procurement standards. UN-funded opportunities are typically open to vendors registered in the UN Global Marketplace for services in the governance and public administration sector. Service contracts are typically evaluated on both technical quality and price, and may require bidders to demonstrate relevant experience and qualified personnel. Interested parties should review the full documentation on the original source before submitting their proposal.