“The threat of pandemics is far from over. The need is to integrate and strengthen One Health-based surveillance systems,” said Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Praveen Pawar.
She inaugurated three-day 3rd Health Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency is currently underway in in Hyderabad. Participants include members of G20 country, guest countries and invited International Organizations. The first day of the meeting hosted various sessions for deliberations on the G20 India Heath priorities.
Adding further, she noted the alignment of 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, she urged the G20 fraternity to facilitate on-going efforts.
She cited “Pandemics may not wait for the finalization of the Pandemic Treaty and hence, the time to act is now.” Dr Pawar also informed the delegates of India’s proposal a Global initiative on Digital Health, a WHO-managed network that intends to converge ongoing initiatives in use of technology in the global health arena for the purpose of bridging the digital divide.
Prof S P Singh Baghel lauded the initiative to include prioritizing the issue of financing health systems and societies in the face of an emergency, besides preparedness financing by G20 Joint Finance and Health Task Force and the G7. Emphasizing on the traditional knowledge in healthcare, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy, stated that “Indian traditional knowledge system propagated preventive and holistic wellbeing for all.”
Lt Gen Madhuri Kanitkar (Retd.) elaborated that the notion of One Health has been integrated with Indian philosophy many centuries ago. She added that anti-microbial resistance (AMR) features as a key priority in India, hence absolutely remedial measures such as optimizing microbial agents in health and animal, strengthening the knowledge of evidence-based surveillance and improving the awareness and understanding of AMR have been part of the action plans in India.
