New Delhi [India], May 20 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 78th Session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva virtually from New Delhi on Tuesday, highlighting India's contributions to global health initiatives under the unifying theme of "One World for Health."
PM Modi mentioned India's Ayushman Bharat scheme, the world's largest health insurance program, which covers 580 million people and provides free treatment.
He outlined three cores for the future of a healthy world -- inclusion, integrated vision and collaboration.
"The future of a healthy world depends on inclusion, integrated vision and collaboration. Inclusion is at the core of India's health reforms. We run Ayushman Bharat - the world's largest health insurance scheme. It covers 580 million people and provides free treatment. This program was recently extended to cover all Indians above 70 years," said PM Modi.
He emphasised India's network of health and wellness centres, which screen and detect diseases like cancer, diabetes, and hypertension.
"We have a network of thousands of health and wellness centres. They screen and detect diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Thousands of public pharmacists provide high-quality medicines at far less than the market price," added PM Modi.
PM Modi invited countries to participate in the International Day of Yoga, with the theme "Yoga for One Earth One Health."
"In June, the 11th International Day of Yoga is coming up. This year's theme is 'Yoga for One Earth One Health.' Being from the nation that gave yoga to the world, I invite all countries to participate," said PM Modi.
PM Modi congratulated the WHO and member states on the successful negotiations of the INB Treaty, aimed at fighting future pandemics with greater cooperation.
"I congratulate the WHO and all Member States on the successful negotiations of the INB Treaty. It is a shared commitment to fight future pandemics with greater cooperation while building a healthy planet. Let us ensure that no one is left behind," he said.
The INB was established in December 2021, at a special session of the World Health Assembly, bringing together Member States and relevant stakeholders, including international organizations, private sector, and civil society.
At the World Health Assembly in June 2024, governments made concrete commitments to complete negotiations on a global pandemic agreement within a year. The upcoming Assembly, starting May 19, 2025, will consider the proposal developed by the INB and decide whether to adopt the instrument under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution.
PM Modi also highlighted India's digital health initiatives, including a platform to track vaccination and a telemedicine service enabling over 340 million consultations.
"Technology is an important catalyst to improve health outcomes. We have a digital platform to track the vaccination of pregnant women and children. Millions of people have a unique digital health identity. It helps us integrate benefits, insurance, records, and information. With telemedicine, nobody is too far from a doctor. Our free telemedicine service has enabled over 340 million consultations," he added.
PM Modi offered to share India's learnings and best practices with the Global South, particularly in addressing health challenges.
"The health of the world depends on how well we care for the most vulnerable. The Global South is particularly impacted by health challenges. India's approach offers replicable, scalable and sustainable models. We would be happy to share our learnings and best practices with the world, especially the Global South," he added.
PM Modi also highlighted that India's initiatives have brought down the out-of-pocket expenditure as a percentage of total health expenditure significantly, while government health expenditure has gone up considerably.
"Thousands of public pharmacies across the country provide high-quality medicines at prices significantly lower than market rates, increasing access to essential drugs for all," he added.
He concluded his speech with a verse from the Vedas, calling for universal well-being: Sarwey bhawantu sukhin sarwey santu niramaya. Sarwey bhadrani pasyantu maa kashichit dukhbhag bahavate (May all be happy, may all be free from illness, may all see what is auspicious, may no one suffer).
Apart from this, after India was conferred the certificate of elimination of Trachoma as a public health problem at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Union Health Minister JP Nadda lauded this achievement and said it was a proud moment for the nation.
In a post on X, JP Nadda said, "A proud moment for the nation at WHA78 (World Health Assembly) India has been conferred the Certificate of Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General at WHO, at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva."