G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting begins in Gandhinagar

BY PUJA MISHRA

GUJARAT,AUG 23 :Under India’s G20 Presidency, the Health Working Group and Health Ministers meeting is been convened from 17-19 August, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The meeting saw participation from the health Ministers of the G20 member countries as well as representatives of invited countries and international organizations.

The meeting was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a special video message.During the video message, Prime Minister underlined that “The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that health should be at the center of our decisions.” He said that “time has also made us understand the importance of international cooperation, whether it is distribution of medicines and vaccines or bringing our people back home.” Prime Minister said, “We must be prepared to prevent, prepare and respond to the next health emergency. This is especially important in today’s interconnected world.”He added, “As we saw during the pandemic, health problems spread in one part of the world can affect all other parts of the world in a very short time.”

Further, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,Lav Agarwal, delivered the welcome address, while Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya delivered the inaugural address during the opening session. The first session of the meeting witnessed deliberations on ‘Prevention, Preparedness, and Response to Health Emergencies’. The G20 Health Ministers’ meeting focused primarily on the three key priorities of the G20 Health Track. These include pharmaceuticals with a focus on access and availability of safe, effective, quality, and affordable medical interventions (vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics), including prevention, preparedness and response to health emergencies with a focus on anti-microbial resistance and a health framework strengthen cooperation in the region; and digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare delivery.

Earlier, the Health Working Group meeting began on 17 August 2023, Thursday.The meeting was inaugurated by Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. The meeting witnessed extensive discussions by the G20 members on finalizing the outcome document.

On the sidelines of the meeting, a two-day Traditional Medicine Global Summit was also organized at the venue by the Ministry of AYUSH and the World Health Organization (WHO). The Traditional Medicine Global Summit was attended by the WHO, DG,  Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,and Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH. During the summit, Dr. Ghebreyesus shared his views and recognized India’s efforts to increase universal health coverage under the comprehensive scheme of Ayushman Bharat. While addressing the summit, Health Minister said that “This Global Summit provides a unique platform for dialogue, exchange of ideas, collaboration, and international partnership in the field of traditional and complementary medicine.”