New Delhi: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for growth and has accelerated the adoption of digital tools, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday, while stressing that under the Indian presidency, the proposed G20 global initiative in digital health will prioritize closing the digital divide. The initiative will bring together scientific expertise, collective best practices, develop digital public health goods, support implementation, and institutionalize the use of digital tools in health service delivery with a specific focus on lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), Mandaviya said, addressing the health ministers session at the Voice of Global South Summit 2023.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we live in an interdependent world and we are all vulnerable when it comes to managing any public health emergency,” said the minister.
The pandemic has highlighted existing challenges in healthcare systems and the need for a 360-degree transformation in healthcare delivery, pathways and infrastructure, he added.
It is the need of the hour to focus on long-term measures to build stronger and more resilient health systems that can prevent, prepare for and respond to future health-related challenges, while maintaining essential health services, Mandaviya said.
India assumed the presidency of the influential G20 (Group of 20) in December.
“It will be our endeavor to bring the voice of the global south to the G20 and other international fora as partners in our development journey,” Mandaviya said.
India has prioritized focusing on the convergence of ongoing efforts globally, mapping health resources and connecting them with the most deserving areas so that health equity can be ensured globally and in particular in the global south, he added. the minister.
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of capacity building for the existing healthcare workforce. This will allow them to provide quality, affordable healthcare locally to serve underserved communities in the global south, he said.
India’s steady investments in the primary health care workforce paid off during the covid vaccination campaign, Mandaviya noted.
“I am pleased to note that so far we have administered more than 2.2 billion (Rs 220 crore) doses of vaccines with 90% second dose coverage of the population aged 12+ and 220 million (22 million rupees) of precautionary dose,” he said.
India’s experience has reinforced the fact that capacity building of health workers, along with harnessing digital technology, is the way forward, the minister noted.
It is in this context that India has been supporting various countries in terms of building the capacity of their health workers through tailored training programmes, he said.
India hosted online training programs on Covid testing, clinical practice, case management, vaccine development and delivery with more than 1,000 participants from Asian and African countries.
“For all its challenges, the ongoing Covid pandemic has also been a catalyst for growth and has accelerated the adoption of digital tools.
“In the spirit of seva, India has offered CoWIN, the locally developed vaccine management platform, as a digital public health good to the world,” Mandaviya said, adding that at the CoWIN global enclave held on July 5 From 2021 with over 140 participating countries, India has reached out to offer the platform as open source software, free of charge, to any interested country.
India has also offered CoWIN as a digital public health good to the World Health Organization (WHO), the minister said.
“Under India’s presidency, the proposed G20 global initiative on digital health will prioritize the digital agenda and contribute to bridging the digital divide,” he said.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there has also been a paradigm shift in India in terms of promoting holistic health as a way forward, Mandaviya said.
He said 1.5 lakh health and wellness centers have been established across the country to provide preventive, promotional and curative, rehabilitative and palliative care, covering primary and secondary health services.
“Furthermore, India’s civilizing spirit emphasizes not only therapy, but wellness as an approach to healthcare. Traditional medicines and yoga, including pranayama and meditation, are India’s contribution to the world,” said the minister.
Since 2015, the world observes the International Day of Yoga with a huge turnout. For billions of people, traditional medicines are the first part of the call to treat many diseases, Mandaviya said.
The Indian government, in collaboration with WHO, established the WHO Global Center for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat on April 19, 2022 with the central aim of harnessing the potential of traditional medicines from around the world through modern science and technology to improve people’s health, Mandaviya said.
Focusing on four strategic areas (evidence and learning, data and analytics, sustainability and equity, and innovation and technology), India would like to work with its partners in the global south to harness this potential, Mandaviya said.
