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What's the article about?
- It talks about the India's G20 Presidency and its focus on Global Health.
Relevance:
- GS2: Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources; Essay
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India's Leadership in Keeping Health at the Forefront of the G20 Agenda:
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Analysis:
- India's G20 Presidency took place when the world was emerging from the worst phase of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- The global public health community was apprehensive about whether the pandemic catalysed attention of policymakers to health would dissipate as economic and political priorities crowd the agenda of G20.
- However, India ensured that health was not sidelined at G20, and discussions on health featured not only in meetings convened by the health ministry but also in those convened by scientific academies (S20), civil society (C20), think tanks (T20), and other groups too.
- The final declaration, Delhi Declaration, unanimously adopted by heads of G20 nations on September 9, 2023, provided a prominent place for health.
- Key Points of the Declaration:
- Strengthening global health architecture and building more resilient, equitable, sustainable and health systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
- Strengthening the primary care and health workforce while improving essential health services and health systems to better than pre-pandemic levels.
- Reaffirming faith in WHO as the world’s premier public health agency, placing it at the core of coordinated global health efforts.
- Emphasis on infectious diseases, from eradication of polio to ending AIDS, TB, malaria, hepatitis, waterborne diseases and other communicable diseases.
- Promoting the ‘One Health’ programme through the ‘Quadripartite’, a coalition of WHO, World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
- Combating and containing anti-microbial resistance (AMR) as part of the One Health initiatives at national and global levels.
- Providing equitable access to safe, effective, quality assured and affordable vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics (VTDs) and other medical countermeasures.
- Developing local capacities for research and development, manufacturing, and last mile delivery.
- Creating a network of networks connecting low and middle income countries (LMICs) and other developing countries.
- Developing climate-resilient and low carbon health systems.
- Promoting mental health and improving access to mental health services as well as provision of psychosocial support in an inclusive manner.
- Strong international counter-narcotics cooperation to curb the growing menace of addictive drugs.
Way Forward:
- While the declaration highlights many vital areas of action for protecting and promoting global health, it strangely does not refer to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are the largest contributors to the global toll of deaths and disability.
- The welcome addition of the African Union to the membership of G20 from this year may bring forth such LMIC priorities strongly in future G20 deliberations.
- For now, we must congratulate India for keeping health in focus at G20 and in achieving consensus on many important areas of global health where international cooperation is vital.
