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Source: The post is based on the article “G20 declaration on health: Mention of India’s 3 priorities, digital push” published in Indian Express on 11th September 2023
What is the News?
All three health priorities of India’s G20 presidency found a mention in the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration.
What are the three health priorities of India that were included in the G20 New Delhi Leaders Declaration?
Firstly, Building resilient systems for health emergency prevention, preparedness, and response.
Secondly, Strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with focus on ensuring equitable availability and access to vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics during a pandemic.
Thirdly, Creating a platform for sharing digital health innovations and solutions to ensure better and universal health coverage, like CoWIN and e-Sanjeevani.
Note: The consensus was reached with some compromises: India did not insist on countries contributing towards a $200-million fund for a digital health programme or on a permanent platform for sharing knowledge, intellectual property rights and resources for developing vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.
What is the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH)?
The Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) was launched by India in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
It aims to address the need for digital health solutions that can be shared and used by WHO member states.
GIDH has four main pillars — an investment tracker, a repository of existing digital health solutions, knowledge sharing for implementation and country-specific adaptation of these solutions, and an ask tracker to monitor the needs of different countries.
What is an Interim Medical Countermeasure Platform?
The Interim Medical Countermeasure Platform is a temporary solution to ensure fair access to medical countermeasures during pandemics.
It was proposed because there was no agreement on creating a permanent platform.
The interim platform will be led by an inclusive decision-making arrangement, including effective representation of low- and middle-income countries and convened by the WHO.
Some countries have opposed this interim platform because it is believed that it may favor G7 nations, which hold many patents for drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines.
The concern is also that an interim solution could be used as an excuse to delay a legally binding pandemic treaty and may not adequately address the needs of poorer countries.
What is the role proposed for traditional medicine?
India’s G20 presidency also pushed for integration of evidence-based traditional medicine practices with modern medicine.
A global summit on traditional medicine was hosted on the sidelines of the health ministers’ meeting last month.
The document acknowledged the potential of evidence-based traditional and complementary medicine practices in public health delivery systems, provided they are rigorously and scientifically validated.
