According to a health ministry official, India would strive to become a powerful voice by taking a proactive role in representing the Global South in discussions across multilateral global health forums. “With developing countries like Indonesia and Brazil hosting it before and after us, we hope that the concerns of nations like ours will gain significance,” the official continued.
Some of the priority areas that the health ministry has decided to pursue are better preparing the world to deal with future pandemics, more equitable distribution of the global pandemic fund, seeking more cooperation among countries on pharma research, and improving the availability of digital public goods in developing countries.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya stated on Thursday that during India’s G20 presidency, the country will prioritise health emergency prevention, readiness, and response using the “One Health” strategy, as well as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance. He stated that enhancing pharmaceutical sector collaboration for the availability and access to safe, effective, and cheap vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, digital health advances, and solutions to promote universal health coverage is a key emphasis.
Among the goals are the utilisation of digital health solutions such as Co-WIN, telemedicine, and the use of technology for accessibility, ease of availability, and cost in health care delivery. The country will also highlight the union government’s main health programmes, including Ayushman Bharat, Jan Aushadhi Yojana, and TB Nikshay Mitra.
On December 1, 2022, India formally took the G-20 presidency, which it would retain until November 30, 2023.
As part of the G20 negotiations, the Union Health Ministry has scheduled four health working group meetings and one health ministerial conference, commencing with the first meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, from January 18 to 20. The second event will be held in Goa from April 17 to 19, the third in Hyderabad from June 4 to 6, and the fourth in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from August 17 to 19. There will also be side events on medical value travel and digital health, inexpensive medicine, and traditional medicine.
According to a health ministry official, India would strive to become a powerful voice by taking a proactive role in representing the Global South in discussions across multilateral global health forums. “With developing countries like Indonesia and Brazil hosting it before and after us, we hope that the concerns of nations like ours will gain significance,” the official continued.