Panaji, 17^th April, 2023

The 2^nd Health Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency is currently underway in in Panaji, Goa. The first day of the meeting saw multiple brainstorming sessions on various aspects revolving around the three priorities of India’s G20 Health track. Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Shripad Naik, Union Minister of State for Tourism and Ports & Shipping and Waterways were present at the inaugural session, where they delivered the keynote address and special address respectively.

Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar stated that “India’s G20 priorities focus on reformed multilateralism that creates an accountable, inclusive, equitable and representative forum fit for addressing the many challenges in the 21st century”. Highlighting India’s efforts in promoting health and wellness tourism, Shri Shripad Naik said that India remained the one of the top destinations for medical tourism. They also inaugurated an exhibition showcasing India’s innovative interventions taken in recent years, success stories in digital healthcare arena.

Post inaugural session, three technical sessions with keynote addresses by public health experts and key stakeholders were held. During the first session on “Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness and Response (HEPPR)”, the key speakers were Prof K. Srinath Reddy, Former President & Distinguished Professor, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Dr. Hanan H. Balkhy, Assistant Director-General for AMR, WHO, Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme. Discussions on embedding anti-microbial resistance in HEPPR Governance systems and financing and ensuring coherence and complementarity of ongoing HEPPR efforts at various governance levels were held. Members also discussed comprehensive proposals on building collaborative surveillance systems in pandemic management, supported by advanced networks of laboratories and relevant infrastructure.

Discussions during session 2 on “Strengthening Cooperation in Pharmaceutical Sector with Focus on Access and Availability to Safe, Effective, Quality and Affordable Medical Countermeasures” revolved around creating better collaborations at various levels. Be it public and private partnerships or international collaborations through a network-of-network coordination platform or platforms to ensure equitable access to medical countermeasures. Dr. Vinod K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog shed light on the digital healthcare landscape and pharmaceutical sector that are flourishing in India and urged stakeholders to take advantage of the learnings and exchange best practices amongst the G20 nations. He said that participants must converge opportunities and momentum provided by initiatives spurred by COVID-19 and capitalize on it. He also called for enhanced support for global medical countermeasures coordination.  

Other important speakers included Dr. Olive Shisana, Special Advisor to the President of South Africa, Dr. Bruce Aylward, Senior Advisor to the DG-WHO, Ms. Marie-Ange Saraka-Yao, Managing Director, Resource Mobilisation, Private Sector Partnerships & Innovative Finance Department, GAVI. Fruitful suggestions from Troika, member states, invited countries and International Organizations were also appreciated.

Discussion on draft Outcome Document was done exclusively amongst G20 member states in an hour-long session afterwards. It was emphasized that any consensus must be built through measures that are evidence based, inclusive, fair, equitable, transparent and need-based. Various specific interventions and solutions were discussed during this enriching session.

Post sessions, Hon’ble Minister of State Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar and senior officials visited the exhibition unveiling various digital health best practices that are being taken up in India and abroad. The first day of the meeting ended with cultural program showcasing Goa’s rich culture and hospitality which included a gala dinner at Fort Aguada campus, Goa.

GSK/PM

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