‘Talks to focus on tie-ups, outbreak response, R&D’ | Goa… Leave a comment
PANAJI: The second health working group meeting that is being held in Goa will see experts from global health institutions and from 20 countries sharing notes and deliberating on possible solutions for preventing global health emergencies, strengthening cooperation in pharmaceutical research, and using digital technologies for healthcare.
The meeting will focus on key issues related to global health, including the need to strengthen health systems, improve access to essential medicines, and address the growing problem of non-communicable diseases.
“The priorities that will be discussed are health emergencies and response, strengthening cooperation and the pharmaceutical sector, and digital health innovation and solutions,” said additional secretary Union ministry of health and family welfare Lav Agarwal.
He said that the pandemic and the vaccine inequality has shown that global health care institutions are working in silos, which prevents a quick response to emerging diseases.
The overarching theme is focused on the health sector since the world is still coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Agarwal said that the pandemic has proved that every country is linked and interdependent in a global scenario.
“The second health working group meeting will discuss health priorities and digital health. The third health working group meeting will be held in Hyderabad and the fourth meeting will be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, followed by the meeting of the health ministers of all the G20 countries,” said Agarwal.
The first health working group meeting was held in Kerala. Based on the discussion of the first HWG, non-papers were drafted in close collaboration with the World Health Organisation and circulated to countries to address issues discussed in the first meeting and continue the discussion in the second meeting starting Monday, he said.
The meeting will provide a platform for policymakers, experts, and stakeholders to exchange ideas and collaborate on solutions to address the health challenges facing the world today.
“Human health, animal health and environmental health are all interrelated. Climate change will have an impact on human health,” said Agarwal.
Over the next year, India plans to conduct over 200 meetings in 50 cities as part of the G20 presidency.
Agarwal said that the G20 event is a great oppor-tunity to showcase India’s diverse culture and its economic prowess.
