Following is the text of the address of Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare at the NAM Health Ministers Meeting at the 68th World Health Assembly, at Geneva.
Distinguished Chair,
Excellencies,
Ladies & Gentlemen,
Let me take this opportunity to extend warm greetings to all of you today in this meeting. We are especially thankful to the Islamic Republic of Iran for organizing this meeting on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly.
Mr. Chairman,
India has consistently worked for the advancement of the NAM agenda, objectives and principles. We are happy to note that the Movement, under the Chairmanship of Iran, has created a strong front at the International level, representing developing countries in the International organizations.
NAM should leverage as a group to take forward public health agenda of common interest and priorities in the World Health Organization (WHO). We need to reiterate our unequivocal support to WHO as the lead global health agency and strengthen its capacities to make it better and stronger.
As a reflection of our own commitment to WHO and its mandate, I have announced the following voluntary contributions from India to WHO:
(i) One million US Dollars for the proposed WHO contingency fund.
(ii) Another One million US Dollars for the implementation of the identified demonstration projects under the Consultative Expert Working Group (CEWG) framework, and
(iii) One hundred thousand US Dollars for the Member State Mechanism on SSFFC medical products.
Mr. Chairman,
NAM, in the context of the present global health scenario, can provide thought leadership on the issue of promoting health equity and reducing health inequity among nations as well as within nations. Regular sharing of best practices would greatly help our common cause, on cost-effective scalable interventions, especially targeting maternal and child health care and non-communicable diseases, which have been successfully implemented in many of NAM Member States.
It is important, in this context, for NAM countries to work as a consortium to avail the health co-benefits of technological advancements. We must use NAM as an advocacy platform to strongly support global health policies that aim at reducing health inequity among nations. At the same time, representing more than half of the world’s population, we seem to be strategically placed to harness our ‘collective’ bargaining power to make new medicines and medical technologies available to our populations at affordable costs.
It is equally important to be proactive as a group in fostering trade relationships with international agencies and other actors, within the umbrella of TRIPS flexibilities and other enabling international provisions, to increase our access to essential medicines, including anti-cancer drugs. India would continue to work with other NAM Member States in this connection.
India’s major focus now is on accelerating the pace of development of useful diagnostics, re-agents, therapeutics, and prevention methods for communicable diseases such as viral, bacterial, and parasitological diseases, and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Our long-term aim is to make these modalities available to populations in low- and middle-income countries at affordable costs. In this regard, we propose greater collaboration in Health Research among NAM countries.
Health requires a holistic view of being one with nature, adopting healthy lifestyles and avoiding excesses. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India His Excellency Narendra Modi ji, gave a call in the United Nations General Assembly in September last year to recognize Yoga as a provider of holistic approach to health and well-being. We are happy to note that the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, with co-sponsorship from 177 countries, to observe 21st June as the International day of Yoga. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join a photo exhibition titled ‘Yoga for all and Yoga for Health’, at 1830hrs this evening, immediately before my Reception.
To conclude, I am confident that our deliberations today would help us to present a consolidated view on mutually agreed upon health-related goals. India keenly looks forward to work in close collaboration with other NAM countries on health issues of common interest.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
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MV