Gandhinagar: Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya while speaking at an event ‘Indian industry interaction with G20 Health Working Group delegates’ in Gandhinagar said on Sunday (August 20) that healthcare is more than just a sector – it is a mission. “(It is) a mission to provide the highest quality healthcare to every citizen of our great nation. Our pharmaceutical and medical devices industry stands as a vital partner in this mission,” Dr Mandaviya said.
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India, the minister said, is recognised as a global pharmaceutical hub, with its industry playing a pivotal role in improving health outcomes worldwide by serving, as a dependable supplier of affordable and high-quality drugs.
He added India has played a significant role in enhancing global accessibility by providing approximately 60 per cent of the global vaccine supply and 20-22 per cent of generic medicine exports.
He said,
In recent years, we have witnessed the transformation of our healthcare landscape. From volume-based approaches, we are transitioning towards. A value-based leadership model, focusing on quality, accessibility, and affordability of healthcare.
Among others who attended the industry interaction meeting were Indonesia and Netherlands health ministers — Budi G. Sadikin and Dr Ernst Kuipers.
Health Minister Indonesia Sadikin praised and thanked India for supporting Indonesia during the pandemic through active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and medicines.
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He said,
I thank India and Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya for saving lives. We chartered a flight and came to India for the drugs.
The G20 Health Ministers’ meeting under G20 India Presidency was held during August 17-19, 2023 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
India assumed the presidency of the G20 on 1 December 2022 and is currently part of the G20 Troika comprising Indonesia, India and Brazil. India’s G20 Presidency marked the first time that the troika is consisting of three developing and emerging economies.
The focus of the G20 Health Minister’s Meeting was on the three key priorities of the G20 Health Track, including health emergencies prevention, preparedness and response with a focus on anti-microbial resistance and One Health framework; Strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on access and availability to safe, effective, quality and affordable medical countermeasures (Vaccines, Therapeutics and Diagnostics); and Digital Health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service delivery.
Also Read: India Moving Towards Universal Health Care Under PM Modi’s Leadership: Union Health Minister
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
