Gandhinagar: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday (August 20) said India is in the final stages of introducing a national policy to promote research and development and innovation in the pharma-medical devices sectors. India’s commitment to quality, accessibility and affordability in healthcare is unwavering, particularly demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Mandaviya said in his keynote address on Sunday to the Indian industry leaders in pharmaceuticals, G20 ministers and delegates, on sidelines of the G20 health ministers meeting organised here between August 17-19.
He also spoke about India’s vision for the future of healthcare, centered around a transition from volume-based approaches to a value-based leadership model.
A government release said,
Acknowledging the paramount importance of research and development in healthcare advancement, Dr Mandaviya announced India’s strides in fostering an innovative environment.
“India is in the final stages of introducing a national policy to promote research and development and innovation in the pharma-medical devices sectors,” the release said quoting Dr Mandaviya.
The Union minister invited countries, government bodies, industry leaders, healthcare professionals and researchers to join forces in a united effort “to elevate the pharmaceutical and medical devices sectors to unprecedented heights.” He also acknowledged India’s prowess in the pharmaceuticals and medical devices field, emphasising its role as a global hub for pharmaceutical excellence.
In their opening remarks, Minister of Health for the Republic of Indonesia Budi G Sadikin, and Health Minister of the Netherlands Dr Ernst Kuipers highlighted India’s success in health and pharmacology and stressed the need for collaboration between nations.
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Dr Kuipers said,
The medicines manufactured in India save lives- in the Netherlands, in Europe and across the world. I look forward to intensified collaboration with India. There are tremendous opportunities for partnership in innovative medicines.
“With the capacity and knowledge that India has in generic and specific drugs, we look forward to a more integrated collaboration with India,” he added.
Dr Mandaviya also held a bilateral meeting with Indonesia’s Health Minister Mr Sadikin and discussed several issues of cooperation and collaboration in the health sector.
He also led a delegation of G20 delegates and ministers, including the Indonesian health minister, to a Jan Aushadhi Kendra to share with them India’s success in providing accessible, affordable and quality medicines to its citizens.
After visiting the Jan Aushadhi Kendra, Mr Sadikin said his country wants to replicate the Indian model to provide easy access to the best quality medicine to his people at the best price.
India provides a large number of quality generic medicines and surgical equipment at affordable prices for all through its network of 9,600 Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
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After the visit, Mr Sadikin told mediapersons,
I want to give the best medicines to my people in Indonesia. I have seen many models of different countries, and India’s Jan Aushadhi Kendra model is the best in the world in terms of providing quality, accessibility and affordability of medicines to the people.
“I look around many countries and I confess that India has the best,” he said.
Mr Sadikin said he asked Mandaviya to visit Indonesia and bring his government officials and businessmen to talk, “public to public, private to private,” and then replicate, with his permission, the model that has been done marvelously in India.
Dr Mandaviya said,
In the summit, discussions were held on the Jan Aushadhi Kendra. In a scenario where the cost of healthcare and medicine is on the rise, the Indian model has been lauded by health ministers across the world for its low cost and quality medicines.
(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.
