One Earth One Health: PM Modi Inaugurates Advantage Healthcare India-2023
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Advantage Healthcare India-2023 summit through a video conference held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. In his address, the Prime Minister welcomed Health Ministers from across the world and delegates from regions such as West Asia, SAARC, ASEAN, and Africa. PM Modi highlighted India’s inclusive vision, emphasizing the nation’s universal health goals that existed even thousands of years ago when there were no global pandemics. He emphasized the concept of One Earth One Health, which is an extension of India’s inclusive vision, to ensure that the ecosystem, including plants, animals, soil, and rivers, remains healthy to keep humans healthy.
India’s View of Health and G20 Presidency
The Prime Minister highlighted India’s view of health and its focus on wellness and welfare, including physical, mental, and social well-being, beyond just the absence of illness. He also discussed India’s G20 presidency with the theme, ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ and the importance of resilient global healthcare systems to achieve the vision. PM Modi acknowledged India’s strength in holistic healthcare, such as the talent, technology, track record, and tradition, and the exceptional skills of Indian healthcare professionals. The Prime Minister expressed India’s commitment to the noble mission of saving lives through vaccines and medicines, citing the examples of Made-In-India vaccines, the world’s largest and fastest COVID-19 vaccination drive, and the shipment of 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to over 100 countries.
India’s Traditional Healthcare Systems
PM Modi emphasized India’s great tradition of preventive and promotive health, including systems such as Yoga and meditation, which are ancient India’s gifts to the modern world that have become global movements. He also highlighted Ayurveda, a complete discipline of wellness that takes care of the physical and mental aspects of health, and millets, which are India’s traditional diet and can tackle food security and nutrition issues worldwide.
Ayushman Bharat Scheme
The Prime Minister threw light on the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, the world’s largest Government-funded health insurance coverage scheme, covering over 500 million Indian citizens, with more than 40 million having availed cashless and paperless medical treatments, resulting in citizens saving nearly 7 billion dollars.
Conclusion
The Prime Minister stressed the need for an integrated, inclusive, and institutional response to global healthcare challenges, emphasizing the world’s interconnectedness, with borders not stopping health threats in a deeply connected world. India remains committed to being a trusted friend to every nation seeking good health for its citizens, with a holistic outlook towards health for thousands of years. India’s traditional healthcare systems have the potential to provide solutions to the world’s health challenges, and the nation remains committed to a resilient global healthcare system that ensures the last person at the last mile has access to medical care.
