In a historic address at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos at Congress Centre, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya exhorted India's commitment to strengthen the Digital Health System and in closing the vaccine gap. Underscoring the need to strengthen Equitable Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative (EVMC), the Union Minister envisaged, "Digital health is a great equaliser and enabler to support Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals and can help ensure accessibility and affordability of health service delivery.” At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, the Union Health Minister delivered the opening remarks for “Unlocking the Power of Digital Health” and “Closing Vaccines Gap” Sessions today.

The full text of address of the Union Health Minister for the Session ‘Unlocking the Power of Digital Health’ is as under:

Digital health is a great equaliser and enabler to support Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals and can help ensure accessibility and affordability of health service delivery. With prime focus on moving from siloed to an ecosystem approach for digital health, India is creating a national framework for digital health in India.

With prime focus on moving from siloed to an ecosystem approach for digital health, India is creating a national framework for digital health in India. Under Ayushman Bharat (Long Live India) Digital Mission, India has embarked on digital transformation of healthcare in India. The focus is on creation of a longitudinal Electronic Health Record for more than 1.3 billion people of India. We have already issued more than 220 million Unique Health IDs along with health facilities and provider registry. India has already utilised digital health interventions for its national program management. Reproductive & Child Healthcare IT platform tracks more than 120 million pregnant women for their ANC, PNC check-up, delivery planning and over 90 million children for immunization. Health Management Information system regularly collates data regarding health programmes from more than 200,000 health facilities.

Through the NCD application, we have screened more than 80 million citizens for diabetes, hypertension and cancers, in turn creating a population profile of India. Telemedicine platform e-Sanjeevani has benefited more than 390 million beneficiaries through video consultations during COVID-19 pandemic, making it the biggest such platform in the world.

CoWIN platform monitors name-based vaccination and has monitored administration of more than 1.92 billion vaccination doses, including beneficiary registration, AEFI monitoring and a QR code based digital digital certificate. India has promoted digital health agenda at global level as Chair in Global Digital Health Partnership. It was India which had moved the Digital Health Resolution in WHO to prioritise the global framework for digital health. We have offered Co-WIN as a digital public good to other countries to aid their vaccination efforts, aligned with India’s commitment to the traditional philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” i.e. The World Is One Family. Digital health interventions can help penetrate health service delivery till the last mile ensuring equitable healthcare service delivery. With technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Cloud computing, 5G, nanotech, we need to create a tech supported healthcare service delivery which is resilient, reliable, and accessible till the last mile.

The full text of address of the Union Health Minister for the Session ‘Closing the Vaccines Gap’ is as under:

India has been known as the Pharmacy of the World. India has shown its prowess in vaccine research and development, manufacturing, and implementation, when we indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccines and achieved the monumental task of administering more than 1.92 billion vaccines.

With paramount challenges of population, diversity, vaccine hesitancy and vaccine eagerness and coverage for vulnerable sections, we embarked with meticulous planning and advanced research under overall leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi, much before other countries and have been successful in saving many lives. India would like to further support and strengthen our ongoing relationship with Africa. India offers to support in augmenting research and development capability of African countries on medical countermeasures.

India would also like to extend its support to Africa in taking the journey from vaccine availability till vaccination with focus on implementation based on India’s experience of vaccination 96 % of its population with 1^st dose and 86% with both doses. 

With the Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision of One Earth One Health, India has always supported the World. Under Vaccine Maitri we supplied vaccines to 100 countries and provided drugs to 150 countries during COVID.

We have also provided our COWIN platform to the world as a global public good. In this session on Closing the Vaccines gap, I envisage learning global best practices and am sure that this session will provide a programme of work for the Equitable Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative (EVMC) designed to strengthen private - public sector partnerships across the vaccine manufacturing value chain in low and middle-income countries. India looks forward to supporting closing the vaccine gap in Africa.

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MV/AL

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