Union Health Minister Dr Mandaviya Delivers Keynote Address At World Health Assembly On ‘Heal In India And Heal By India’

New Delhi: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya addressed the 76th session of the World Health Assembly centered on the theme of ‘Health for All’ in the presence of Dr Tedros, Director General, World Health Organization and Health Ministers from across the world. Recounting G20 India’s Health priorities of Health Emergency Preparedness, Access to Medical Countermeasures, and Digital Health, Dr. Mandaviya said,

The unprecedented circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic have further served to strengthen the agenda for a more connected world that is prepared to tackle future health challenges.

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On the sidelines of the event, the Union Health Minister also held a meeting with the Iranian Health and Medical Education Minister.

Productive meeting with Bahram Eynollahi, Minister of Health and Medical Education, Iran on the sidelines of #WHA76 in Geneva. Discussed ways to further strengthen India-Iran cooperation in healthcare, pharma, digital health and traditional medicine, Dr. Mandaviya said in a tweet.

Addressing the World Health Assembly, the Union Health Minister proposed a Global Medical Countermeasures Platform with distributed manufacturing and R&D through regional networks and the Global Initiative for Digital Health.

Elaborating further, he stated,

The Global Medical Countermeasures Platform aims to ensure equitable access to safe, high-quality, cost-effective medical countermeasures to all the countries.

Underscoring the need to bridge the global digital divide, Dr. Mandaviya added,

Global Initiative on Digital Health will facilitate in building consensus on the promotion of Digital Public Goods for customization & democratization of digital tools for the world and particularly for low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).

He reiterated that “The aim of Global Initiative on Digital Health is to act as an institutional framework and provide an agile & fit for purpose digital solutions with the use of cutting-edge technologies.”

Dr. Mandaviya also cited the Ni-kshay Platform as an example of innovation and investment in health technologies, reiterating India’s commitment to eliminate Tuberculosis leveraging its own mathematical model substantiated by the end-to-end patient care, provider workflows, and digitization of the cascade of care incorporated in the platform.

Commending the World Health Organization for prioritizing the agenda of ‘Health for All’, Dr. Mandaviya said,

The theme finds resonance with the theme of G20 India Presidency ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ as well as the notion of “Antyodaya” meaning reaching the last person in the last mile.

Highlighting the impact of Covid-19 on the world, The Union Health Minister noted that though the pandemic has indeed taken a toll on our healthcare systems, it is vital to maintain the momentum and work in tandem to translate our vision of ‘Health for All’ into reality and ensure a healthier tomorrow for the coming generations.

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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 – 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.