Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 78th Session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva via videoconferencing. Addressing the gathering, he extended warm greetings to all attendees, highlighting this year’s theme, ‘One World for Health,’ and emphasized that it aligns with India’s vision for global health. He recalled his address at the 2023 World Health Assembly, where he had spoken about ‘One Earth, One Health.’ He remarked that the future of a healthy world depends on inclusion, an integrated vision, and collaboration.
Emphasizing that inclusion is at the core of India’s health reforms, Modi highlighted Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health insurance scheme, which covers 580 million people and provides free treatment. The programme was recently expanded to cover all Indians above the age of 70 years. He noted India’s extensive network of thousands of health and wellness centers that facilitate early screening and detection of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. He also underlined the role of thousands of public pharmacies that provide high-quality medicines at significantly lower prices. Highlighting the role of technology in improving health outcomes, Modi underscored India’s digital initiatives like the digital platform that tracks the vaccination of pregnant women and children and the unique digital health identity system, which is helping integrate benefits, insurance, records, and information. He remarked that with telemedicine, no one is too far from a doctor. He highlighted India’s free telemedicine service, which has enabled over 340 million consultations. Reflecting on the positive impact of India’s health initiatives, he noted a significant decline in Out-of-Pocket Expenditure as a percentage of Total Health Expenditure. Simultaneously, he emphasized that Government Health Expenditure has increased considerably.
“The health of the world depends on how well we care for the most vulnerable”, underlined the Prime Minister, highlighting that the Global South is particularly impacted by health challenges and stressed that India’s approach provides replicable, scalable, and sustainable models. He expressed India’s willingness to share its learnings and best practices with the world, especially with the Global South. Looking ahead to the 11th International Day of Yoga in June, the Prime Minister encouraged global participation. He highlighted this year’s theme, ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health,’ and extended an invitation to all countries, emphasizing India’s role as the birthplace of Yoga.
Modi extended his congratulations to the World Health Organization (WHO) and all member states on the successful negotiations of the INB treaty. He described it as a shared commitment to fighting future pandemics through greater global cooperation. He emphasized the importance of building a healthy planet while ensuring that no one is left behind. Concluding his address, the Prime Minister invoked a timeless prayer from the Vedas, he reflected on how, thousands of years ago, India’s sages prayed for a world where all would be healthy, happy, and free from disease. He expressed hope that this vision would unite the world.
NewsBit Bureau