“India’s health system adopts a “whole of government” and “whole of society” approach to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), with emphasis on strengthening primary health care and essential services.” This was stated by Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Health Minister, during his inaugural address at the 77th Session of the World Health Organization South East Asia Region (SEARO) today.
The opening session of the Regional Committee meeting included election of office bearers, establishment of “drafting group for proposals and decisions”, adoption of “special procedures” to regulate the conduct of the session, and adoption of the Provisional Agenda. Dignitaries present at the event included Dr Razia Pendse, Chef de Cabinet, WHO Headquarters; Mr Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk, Minister of Health, Bhutan; Mr Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, Minister of Health, Maldives; Mr Pradeep Paudel, Minister of Health and Population, Nepal; Dr Elia Antonio de Araujo dos Reis Amaral, Minister of Health, Timor Leste; Mr. M.A. Akmal Hossain Azad, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh; Mr. Kunta Wibawa Dasa Nugraha, Secretary General, Ministry of Health, Indonesia; Mr. Choi Hui Chol, Ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to India and Dr. Veerawut Imsamran, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand.
Nadda said, “In line with the commitment to provide health cover to all, the Central Government has launched the world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). This initiative covers over 120 million families, providing an annual benefit of US$ 6,000 per family on hospitalization.” He highlighted that the government has recently expanded the scheme to all citizens aged 70 years and above. He said, “This expansion will benefit about 45 million families, including 60 million elderly population, with free health insurance coverage. This underlines the Government’s commitment to ensure universal and inclusive healthcare for India’s growing elderly demographic.”
The Union Health Minister said, “Recognizing the growing public health challenges posed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), India has been implementing the National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs since 2010 to address conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This initiative has led to the establishment of 753 NCD clinics, 356 day care centres and 6,238 community health centres to focus on preventive measures at an early stage.”
Shri Nadda said that India, as a lighthouse country in the field of digital health, is ready to share its digital public infrastructure (DPI) such as Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, e-Sanjeevani, Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP), Saksham etc. by providing technical and financial support. A WHO-managed network was launched during India’s G20 Presidency. It provides technical and financial support through global initiatives on digital health. He also said that “After the remarkable success of the CoWIN digital platform during the COVID-19 pandemic, India has conceptualised the online digital platform- UWIN for the universal immunisation programme. The portal will register, track and monitor all vaccination programmes.”
Nadda emphasised that understanding the important role of traditional and complementary medicine in South-East Asian countries, India has supported WHO in creating the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, which aims to promote these systems globally. He said that “India’s experience in integrating this system with the traditional medicine system has led to the provision of holistic healthcare, thereby promoting overall well-being and expanding the range of healthcare services”. He added, “Our Ayushman Arogya Mandirs which are community health and wellness centres are vital in providing comprehensive healthcare through both traditional and conventional medicine systems, ensuring the physical and mental well-being of our citizens.”
The Union Health Minister concluded his address by highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’, which literally means ‘Participation of all, Development of all, Trust of all, Effort of all’. It envisages unity in addressing global challenges, promoting inclusive, human-centred development, building trust by acknowledging aspirations and harnessing the strengths of each nation for global good. He said, “We believe that collective experiences can drive transformative actions in different countries. Health transcends boundaries, requiring a holistic and collaborative approach. By learning from each other’s successes and challenges, we can enhance the resilience of health systems.”