G20 countries to continue strengthening global health architecture
The Hindu
Countries also recognised the need for improving the understanding of long COVID.
The G20 Health Ministers’ meeting saw the unanimous adoption of the Indian Health Ministry spear-headed outcome document, agreed upon by all G20 delegations, except for a contentious paragraph on the ongoing war in Ukraine in the 25-point document.
The document released on Saturday reaffirmed the commitment of G20 countries to continue strengthening the global health architecture.
Speaking immediately after the release of the document, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that India’s G20 Presidency is carrying forward the discussions on the need for adaptable, affordable, sustainable, inclusive, and equitable access to medical countermeasures, as also discussed during the Indonesian and Italian G20 Presidencies.
Countries also recognised the need for improving the understanding of long COVID, its consequences on individual, social and economic levels, as well as on post-COVID-related health services, and noted the importance of surveillance and research in long COVID.
They affirmed that the need of the hour is to converge, consolidate, and create a healthier future and strengthen national health systems, including through effective community involvement via the underlying principle of ‘leave no one behind’.
Meanwhile, as part of the outcome document, G20 countries noted that they continued to be committed to strengthening dialogue through the G20 Joint Finance-Health Task Force, and welcomed the conclusion of the First Call for Proposals of the Pandemic Fund.
Member countries looked forward to a successful outcome of the Inter-Governmental Negotiating Body for a legally binding World Health Organization (WHO) international instrument on pandemic preparedness, prevention and response by May 2024, and the Working Group on Amendments to International Health Regulations, recognising member states’ sovereignty and responsibility for health systems.
While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.