New Delhi: The global initiative on digital health will bring together various enterprises on a common platform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while virtually addressing the G20 Health Ministers’ Meet in Gandhinagar.
“Let us open our innovations for the public good… let us avoid duplication of funding… Let us facilitate equitable availability to technology,” the Prime Minister said, adding, “This initiative will allow countries in the Global South to close the gap in healthcare delivery. It will take us one step closer to our goal of achieving universal health coverage.”
Digital solutions and innovations are useful tools to make our efforts equitable and inclusive, stressed Modi, adding that patients from far and wide can receive quality care through telemedicine.
India’s national platform e-sanjeevani — which is used for telemedicine services — has facilitated 140 million consultations to date, while the CoWIN app successfully facilitated the largest (COVID-19) vaccination drive in human history, Modi said.
Through the app, the PM said, the delivery of more than 2.2 billion vaccine doses and real-time availability of globally verifiable certificates were managed.
The focus of the G20 Health Ministers’ Meet, being held between 17 to 19 August, is on the three key priorities of the G20 Health Track, including health emergencies prevention, preparedness and response with a focus on antimicrobial resistance and “One Health” framework.
The other agendas include 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.
Addressing the gathering, where health ministers of 29 countries participated, the PM underlined that the Covid-19 pandemic had reminded the world that health should be at the centre of all decisions.
“It also showed us the value of international cooperation whether in medicine and vaccine delivery or bringing our people back home,” he said.
He also highlighted that under “Vaccine Maitreyi” (an initiative to donate and supply Covid-19 vaccine to other countries), India delivered 300 million doses to more than 100 countries, including many in the Global South.
Resilience has turned out to be one of the biggest lessons of the current times, he said, underscoring that global health systems should also be resilient.
“We must be ready to prevent, prepare and respond to the next health emergency. It is especially important in today’s interconnected world,” Modi said.
“As we saw during the pandemic, health issues in one part of the world can affect all other parts in a very short time. In India, we are following a holistic and inclusive approach… We are expanding health infra, promoting traditional medicine, and providing affordable healthcare to all,” he added.
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