The threat of pandemics is far from over, Union minister of state for health Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Sunday, as she underlined the need to integrate and strengthen surveillance systems under the “One Health” framework.
Addressing the third Health Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency in Hyderabad, the minister also stressed on the importance of global collaboration and partnerships. She said the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted that partnerships were most fruitful only when developed during peacetime and not amidst an ongoing pandemic.
“We need to focus on creating resilient health systems, with primary health as its cornerstone,” she said. “Partnership we share as G20 members is vital and facilitates in building trust, sharing knowledge, creating networks and working together to achieve meaningful impact and results.”
Pawar added: “The threat of pandemics is far from over. The need is to integrate and strengthen One Health-based surveillance systems.”
She also highlighted the need for availability of safe, effective and quality medical countermeasures.
“India’s G20 Presidency is working towards building consensus for an end-to-end global Medical Countermeasure (MCM) ecosystem, following a network of networks approach and leveraging existing global and regional initiatives,” she said. “The leadership of G20 countries needs to create an interim platform which will be guided by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) process and will feed into the same.”
Acknowledging the convergence between G7 and G20 priorities, including the launch of MCM delivery partnership during Japan’s G7 Presidency which aligns with G20’s proposal of an end-to-end MCM ecosystem, Pawar urged the global community to strengthen ongoing efforts in that direction.
“Pandemics may not wait for the finalisation of the Pandemic Treaty and hence, the time to act is now,” she said.
Pawar also pointed out India’s proposal of a gobal initiative on Digital Health, a WHO-managed network, to converge ongoing initiatives in use of technology in the global health arena.
“This initiative can enable bridging the digital divide amongst nations and ensure that the fruits of technology are made available to every citizen of the world,” she added.
Union tourism minister G Kishan Reddy and Union minister of state for health SP Singh Baghel were also present at the meeting, along with other senior officials from various departments.
“The recent Covid 19 pandemic taught us that only through a sustainable health system a sustainable economy can be built,” Baghel said. “Effective pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response can only be facilitated through continuous interventions in the health sector at the regional, national, and global levels.”
Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan underlined India’s efforts to achieve universal health coverage, and the need to converge the ongoing parallel discussions in global health architecture in Health Emergency Preparedness, Prevention and Response; Medical Countermeasures and Digital Health.
“It is critical to integrate all existing global health initiatives, global and regional health processes like G7, G20 and UNGA by jointly harnessing our strengths for a fit-for-purpose global health architecture,” Bhushan said. “The theme of India’s G20 Presidency— One Earth, One Family, One Future— also alludes to the wider concept of Universal Health Coverage. There is the need to break the existing silos and reduce fragmentation.”
Source- Hindustan Times.
