Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Singh Patel inaugurated the QUAD Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness for Indo-Pacific Region, here today.

The purpose of the 3-day workshop, jointly organised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of External Affairs, is to strengthen global health emergency frameworks, enhancing preparedness and resilience to health threats, and ensure coordinated responses to evolving pandemics as well as the implementation of One Health approach, addressing human, animal, and environmental health through a multisectoral lens.

Addressing the gathering, Smt. Patel said that “the rise of emerging and re-emerging health threats in recent times underscores the critical necessity of strengthened preparedness, enhanced surveillance, and well-coordinated international response mechanisms to safeguard global health security.”

Highlighting India’s commitment to strengthening global pandemic preparedness and response efforts, Smt. Patel informed that “India has contributed USD 10 million towards the establishment of the Pandemic Fund which was specially conceptualized for fighting pandemics”. “India has further pledged an additional USD 12 million to support its sustained functioning”, she added.

Smt. Patel stated that India has led Digital Health initiatives, leveraging technology to improve health access, outcomes, and create sustainable, data-driven systems. These efforts are central to building a health system capable of addressing both current as well as future health and climate challenges. She added that towards the vision of creating and stabilizing a resilient and pandemic-ready healthcare system, India has established a comprehensive health emergency coordination framework, strategically focused on preparedness, response, and resilience-building through setting up several key initiatives within the healthcare system such as Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP), National One Health Program for Prevention and Control of Zoonosis and National Vector Borne Disease Control and Prevention (NVBDCP), among others.

The Union Minister highlighted that India’s harnessing of digital technology in healthcare through initiatives like the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and tools like the CoWIN platform, eSanjeevani, National Telemedicine Service, Tele-MANAS to manage mental health diseases, and the Ni-Kshay portal for tracking monitoring and management of Tuberculosis patients. “Our robust digital disease surveillance system offers a valuable model for other countries seeking to strengthen their public health infrastructure”, she added.

Smt. Patel stated that India, as a lighthouse country in digital health technologies, has been at the forefront of deliberations across various international forums. “India is keen to share our Digital Public Infrastructures (DPIs) with the global community, especially with our friends in the Global South to enable modern healthcare approaches. We are also willing to offer courses and capacity building trainings in partnership with our MEA in identified areas of interest in the health sector” she further stated.

She concluded her address by emphasizing the importance of unity and collaboration in health initiatives to ensure “a safer and healthier future for all”.

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, highlighted the efforts being taken to integrate health services in India. He stated that this workshop presents a unique approach to address health challenges collaboratively with like-minded partner countries.

He emphasized the need to strengthen regional health networks and prepare for zoonotic diseases, especially for countries with a significant livestock sector. He stressed on sharing of technologies for better surveillance, disease modelling and improve public health systems for better preparedness. He also highlighted the need for more engagement among students and scientific community for fostering innovation.

Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava, Union Health Secretary stated that “this workshop is a valuable opportunity to exchange knowledge, best practices and most importantly strengthen health systems in the Indo-Pacific region by putting people at the centre of preparedness and equiping them to respond effectively to future healthcare crisis.” She highlighted that “by leveraging India’s vast vaccine production capacity, the United States’ cutting-edge research, Japan’s technological expertise, and Australia’s strong regional engagement, the Quad has emerged as a force for health security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.”

The Union Health Secretary noted that pandemics necessitate prompt, urgent and sustained stewardship, global solidarity, and multilateral cooperation. Aligning with this, she advocated for strengthening pandemic preparedness capacity at all levels and extended India’s steadfast support to any such initiative.

Background:

India is hosting the Quad Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness for the Indo-Pacific Region from March 17-19, 2025. This workshop is a direct outcome of the 6th Quad Leaders’ Summit held in September 2024, during which the Quad leaders, including Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, committed to enhancing collaboration in health security and pandemic preparedness. The workshop is a crucial platform for collaborative discussions, mutual learning, and the exchange of best practices on pandemic preparedness and response among countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Over the next three days, participating countries, including Quad partners, will be delivering presentations and sharing their distinctive pandemic preparedness experiences, challenges, and successes, with a focus on governance, surveillance, and technological innovations. They will also be engaging in group work and simulation exercises on pandemics like Avian Influenza, Mpox, and Ebola and refine response strategies, emphasizing timely decision-making and cross-border coordination for future health emergencies.

A field visit to India’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the National Centre for Vector-Borne Disease Control is part of the program. Participants are set to gain first-hand insight into India’s public health infrastructure, surveillance systems, and emergency response capabilities while highlighting India’s efforts to enhance pandemic preparedness and resilience and showcasing advanced practices in disease control and public health management.

The Quad Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness is a critical milestone in building a more robust, coordinated global health security framework, ensuring that nations are better equipped to face future public health challenges with resilience and unity.

Smt. Hekali Zhimomi, Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Shri K Nagaraj Naidu, Addl. Secretary (Americas), Ministry of External Affairs; Dr Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India; Senior health officials and technical experts from the Quad nations—India, the United States, Japan, and Australia—along with 36 delegates from 15 countries across the Indo-Pacific region and international health organizations, participated in the workshop.

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