New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (August 18), said that the COVID-19 pandemic has reminded nations that health should be at the centre of their decisions. He said that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown them the value of international cooperation. In a video message at the G20 Health Ministers meeting being held in Gujarat’s Gandhi Nagar, PM Modi said,
The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that health should be at the center of our decisions. It also showed us the value of international cooperation, whether in medicine and vaccine deliveries, or in bringing our people back home.
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Highlighting India’s contribution in delivering medicine, PM Modi said that New Delhi under the Vaccine Maitri initiative provided 300 million vaccine doses to over 100 nations, including many in the Global South. He stressed that global health systems should be resilient and the world must be ready to prevent, prepare and respond to the next health emergency. He said,
Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India delivered 300 million vaccine doses to more than 100 countries, including many in the Global South. Resilience has turned out to be one of the biggest learnings of this time.
He further said,
Global health systems should also be resilient.
Global health systems should also be resilient. We must be ready to prevent, prepare, and respond to the next health emergency. This is especially important in today’s interconnected world. As we saw during the pandemic, health issues in one part of the world can affect all other parts of the world in a very short time.
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My remarks at the G20 Health Ministers Meeting being held in Gandhinagar. @g20org https://t.co/FI5j9fEu7G
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2023
Calling health the very foundation of life, PM Modi said that there is a saying in Sanskrit in India which in English means,
Health is the ultimate wealth, and with good health every task can be accomplished.
He noted that Mahatma Gandhi considered health an important issue and even wrote a book titled ”Key to Health” on the subject. PM Modi stated that the global celebration of International Day of Yoga showcases the universal desire for holistic health. He said that 2023 is being marked as the International Day of Millets. He said that India believes that holistic health and wellness can help enhance everyone’s resilience and called WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Gujarat an important step in that direction. The Prime Minister said,
In India, we are following a holistic and inclusive approach. We are expanding health infrastructure, promoting traditional systems of medicine, and providing affordable healthcare to all. The global celebration of the International Day of Yoga is testament to the universal desire for holistic health. This year, 2023 is being marked as the International Year of Millets. Millets or Shri Anna as they are known in India, have several health benefits. We believe that holistic health and wellness can help enhance everyone’s resilience. The establishment of WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat is an important step in this direction. And, the holding of WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine along with G20 Health Ministers meeting will intensify efforts to harness its potential. It should be our joint effort to build a global repository of traditional medicine.
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PM Modi stressed that public participation is a key factor in the success of health initiatives and called it one of the main reasons for the success of India’s leprosy eradication campaigns. He stated that India’s programme on TB elimination also encourages public participation. He said,
Public participation is a key factor in the success of health initiatives. It was one of the main reasons for the success of our leprosy eradication campaign. Our ambitious programme on TB elimination also encourages public participation. We have called upon the people of the country to become ”Friends for eradication of TB”. Under this, nearly 1 million patients have been adopted by citizens. Now, we are on our way to achieve TB elimination well ahead of the global target of 2030.
The G20 Health Ministers’ meeting under India’s G20 Presidency is being held in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar from August 17-19. India assumed the presidency of the G20 on 1 December 2022. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in an earlier press release said,
The focus of the G20 Health Minister’s Meeting will be 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.
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(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 – theLGBTQ 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 currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) 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, fightmalnutrition, 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 likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
