Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), on August 18 praised India for advancing health coverage and schemes. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting, held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from August 17 to 19, he commended India for its steps in advancing Universal Health Coverage and the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which is the world’s largest health assurance initiative.
The WHO Chief also recalled his visit to a Health and Wellness Centre in Gandhinagar and lauded the services being provided to 1,000 households by the centre. He hailed the telemedicine facilities provided in Gujarat and thanked India’s G20 Presidency for the Global Digital Health Initiative, which was launched on August 19.
More than 70 delegates from different countries participated in the G20 Health Ministers’ meeting. Its focus was on three key priorities of the G20 Health Track, including health emergencies prevention, preparedness and response with a focus on antimicrobial resistance and One Health framework; strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on access and availability to safe, effective, quality and affordable medical countermeasures (vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics); and digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service delivery.
