With the dawn of another year, it is also time for renewed commitments and resolutions. As the world comes together with new beginnings, opportunities and hope in a post-pandemic global order, India assumed the G20 presidency from Indonesia on December 1, 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated that India’s presidency will be inclusive, action-oriented and decisive. Echoing the hope of billions across the world, he has called everyone to “join together to make India’s G20 presidency a presidency of healing, harmony and hope”, and that G20 is an opportunity for the world to know India and “showcase its resilience and strength.”
It is indeed a clarion call to the world to collectively strive towards building a better world. The Prime Minister said, “Housing one-sixth of humanity, and with its immense diversity of languages, religions, customs and beliefs, India is a microcosm of the world…Today, the greatest challenges we face — climate change, terrorism and pandemics — can be solved not by fighting each other, but only by acting together.”
The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union. The G20 countries account for 85 per cent of the world’s GDP, 75 per cent of global trade, and two-thirds of the world population. Over the course of past presidencies, the G20 has acquired the role of a forerunner to strengthen and push for a more resilient, responsive, and inclusive global health architecture.
India is currently part of the G20 troika (current, previous and incoming G20 presidencies) compromising Indonesia, Italy and India. This would be the first time when the troika would consist of developing countries and emerging economies, thus unlocking an opportunity that provides them with a greater voice. In the G20 presidency, India has an exceptional opportunity to address some of the common developmental challenges faced by global actors and forge its path in the current new world policy.
Priorities of the presidency will also reflect the aspirations of not just the member countries but also the Global South whose voice is often unheard. India can be the de-facto voice of the Global South using its G20 chair to forge win-win collaborations between developed and developing nations. Furthermore, this presidency offers a potent platform to achieve convergence in discussions across various multilateral partners to engage in health cooperation and work towards integrated action.
India’s G20 Presidency Health Track will focus on three priority areas. First, Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness and Response (One Health and Anti-microbial Resistance [AMR]), and strengthening the global healthcare ecosystem will be in focus with aims for continued efforts to be made to prevent, prepare for and manage future pandemics.
This calls for an inter-sectoral action under One Health Approach that should include experts across human, animal and plant health. As we have realised, AMR is a global public health threat that has gained attention in the G20 and other multilateral platforms globally.
One of the focus areas at G20 will be minimising misuse of antimicrobials both in humans as well as animals, besides giving impetus to R&D for the manufacture of new, safe and effective antimicrobials.
Access and Availability of Medical Countermeasures (Vaccine, Therapeutics and Diagnostics) forms the second priority. India demonstrated strength and resourcefulness in the global pharmaceuticals sector during the Covid-19 crisis by fulfilling its own healthcare needs and those of over 120 countries.
Medical countermeasures
Acknowledged as ‘The Pharmacy for the world’, it is known for global supply of various life-saving medicines and vaccines. It has shown its prowess in vaccine research and development, manufacturing and implementation when we indigenously developed Covid vaccines and achieved the monumental task of administering more than 2.20 billion vaccines.
The need of the hour is to consolidate previous discussions focused on access to Medical Countermeasures (VTDs) and setting up regional manufacturing and research networks for medical countermeasures. This will help ensure affordable and sustainable access of medical countermeasures, particularly in low- and middle-income countries to be better prepared to face the risk of future pandemics. India’s presidency will encourage G20 countries to deliberate upon sustainable mechanisms and effective partnerships to address gaps in availability, accessibility and affordability of quality and effective medical countermeasures.
Another priority area where India can also share its efforts in achieving targets under Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is Digital Health. This is a great equaliser and enabler to support Universal Health Coverage. Covid has led to increased demand for digital health in primary healthcare delivery, underscoring the need for better incorporation of cutting-edge digital technologies into health and care services in areas such as telemedicine, surveillance and remote clinical management.
India’s e-Sanjeevani platform for tele-consultations recently crossed the remarkable milestone of more than 80 million consultations. Our CoWIN platform has been applauded globally for providing a strong, reliable and scalable technology backbone for Covid management. Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is the world’s largest insurance/assurance scheme which provides health coverage of ₹5 lakh per beneficiary family per annum to approximately 10.74 crore poor and vulnerable families and to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage .
India’s presidency will aim to continue and consolidate key takeaways from the Italian and Indonesian presidencies while focussing on critical facets that require strengthening. Acting as a voice of the Global South by listening, building bridges, presenting their concerns to the larger world, our presidency aspires to find relevant solutions that suit them.
The writer is Union Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
