‘Good health for all should be at centre of all government decisions’: PM Modi at G20 Health Ministers Meet

Stressing that affordable healthcare for all is the basic foundation of life, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that good health should be at the centre of all government decisions in our country as well as across the world. The Prime Minister was virtually addressing the inaugural session of the G20 Health Ministers’ Meet being held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. “We must be ready to prevent, prepare, and respond to the next health emergency. The Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us that health should be at the centre of our decisions. This is especially important in today’s interconnected world. We saw during the pandemic, how health issues in one part of the world can affect all other parts of the world in a very short span of time,” PM Modi said. “It is the basic right of citizens to have access to facilities provided by the government,” the Prime Minister said underscoring the need to stop the flourishing nexus between private doctors and pharma firms. The Prime Minister also recited a Sanskrit ‘shloka’ that roughly translates into: “Health is ultimate wealth and with good health every task can be accomplished”. Recalling how the Covid-19 pandemic had taught the world the value of international cooperation, PM Modi said resilience was one of the biggest lessons learnt during the pandemic. He highlighted the Indian government’s massive humanitarian initiative to provide Covid-19 vaccines to countries all over the world. He pointed out that under the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative, India had delivered 300 million vaccine doses to more than 100 countries, including many in the Global South. The Prime Minister said that India believes in following a holistic and inclusive approach that would enable the government to eventually enhance the resilience of every citizen. He outlined the work being undertaken by the Union government to expand health infrastructure in the country, the efforts being made to promote traditional systems of medicine and the eventual goal of affordable healthcare for all. Addressing health ministers from several G20 nations, the Prime Minister emphasised that health and environment are organically linked, and clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient nutrition, and secure shelters are major factors contributing to good health. He congratulated the dignitaries at the meet for the steps they had taken towards the launch of the Climate and Health Initiative. He also lauded the steps taken to address the threat of Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR). PM Modi said AMR remains a serious threat to global public health and all modern pharmaceutical advancements so far. He praised the G20 Health Working Group for prioritising the initiative of ‘One Health’, and for working to fulfil the vision of ‘Óne Earth, One Health’. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and other officials from the health department are also scheduled to address the health ministers meet. In attendance are the Health Ministers of Indonesia and Brazil among dignitaries from a host of other G20countries. The event will also include a session on “Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness and Response (with a focus on One Health and AMR).