Pressing for global cooperation and healthcare for all, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar emphasised the guiding philosophy of India’s G20 Presidency – ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family). This philosophy, she noted, held particular importance in the realm of global health, especially in light of the pandemic’s lesson that ‘No one is safe until everyone is safe.’ Pawar was addressing the G20 Deputies’ Meeting on Thursday.
Throwing light on the critical discussions within the Health Working Groups of India’s G20 Presidency, Dr Pawar highlighted that the primary focus had been on addressing Health Emergency Prevention Preparedness and Response (HEPPR). She highlighted the Indian G20 Presidency’s specific attention to One Health, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and Climate Change as critical threats.
“The second priority centres around ensuring equitable access to affordable medical countermeasures,” Dr Pawar explained. This involves establishing a global coordination platform for medical countermeasures (MCM), envisioning widespread Research and Development (R&D) and manufacturing networks across the globe. Such an approach aims to provide quality and affordable vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics (VTDs), particularly for the most vulnerable populations, including those in the Global South.
The third health priority of India’s G20 Presidency revolves around the development and utilisation of digital health innovations and solutions. Dr Pawar brought attention to the Global Initiative for Digital Health (GIDH), designed to facilitate a unified approach that bridges existing digital health initiatives.
“The core of all our efforts under this G20 presidency lies in addressing healthcare inequality,” Dr Pawar emphasised.
Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant highlighted the accelerated development of ad-hoc global mechanisms during the pandemic to address urgent needs. However, this approach led to redundancy and fragmentation. He pointed out that India’s G20 Presidency has consistently stressed the importance of converging efforts within the HEPPR realm to establish a cohesive and responsive Global Health Architecture.
Pant also drew attention to India’s G20 Health Working Groups and the 14 co-branded events conducted alongside, which tackled pressing global health concerns. He acknowledged that the discussions held during the last three Health Working Groups brought them closer to the shared objective of constructing a unified global health framework.
Members of the troika from Indonesia and Brazil lauded India’s presidency, recommending collaborative multi-sectoral approaches and investments in stronger health systems. Additionally, they emphasised efficient decision-making arrangements within the interim Medical Countermeasures mechanism, ensuring meaningful representation of Lower and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).
The meeting was attended by Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary of the Department of Health Research & DG ICMR, Abhay Thakur, India’s G20 Presidency Sous Sherpa & Additional Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, and Lav Agarwal, India’s G20 Presidency Health Track Focal Point & Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Dr VK Paul, Member (Health) of NITI Aayog, was also present during the address.
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