Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the G20 nations to promote open sharing of innovations and ensure fair access to technology, aiming to bridge the healthcare gap in the Global South. He highlighted that, unlike some Western pharmaceutical companies focusing on profits through patents, India’s initiatives like the Maitri program, which supplied vaccines to poor nations, and the free accessibility of the COWIN platform for pandemic response, demonstrate a commitment to global well-being.
The COWIN platform successfully managed the world’s largest vaccination campaign, delivering over 2.4 billion vaccine doses and providing real-time verifiable vaccination certificates. The Global Initiative on Digital Health aims to unite various digital health projects on a common platform. Through the Vaccine Maitri program, India supplied 300 million vaccine doses to over 100 countries, particularly in the Global South, showcasing resilience as a vital lesson from this period.
During the pandemic, India and South Africa advocated for a patent waiver on Covid vaccines at the World Trade Organisation, seeking to enable vaccine production in poorer nations and save lives. Prime Minister Modi emphasized the need to be prepared for future health emergencies, given the interconnected nature of the world. He stressed that collaborative efforts could bring the world closer to achieving Universal Health Coverage.
PM Modi also highlighted the holistic health approach that enhances resilience, citing public involvement in fighting tuberculosis and the establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Gujarat. He anticipates that the WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine and the G20 Health Ministers meeting will bolster the use of traditional medicine and expand healthcare coverage globally.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO chief, shared his hope that the Gujarat Declaration emerging from the G20 health minister’s summit will incorporate traditional medicines into national health systems. He emphasized how modern drug origins often trace back to traditional practices. Additionally, India’s e-Sanjeevani digital platform, facilitating 140 million telehealth consultations, serves as an example for other countries striving for an inclusive and equitable healthcare system through digital innovation.
