G20 Presidency: First health working group meet to be held on Jan 18 in Kerala

The first health working group meeting of the Presidency of G20 in India will be held on January 18-20 in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

The second health working group meeting will be held on April 17-19 in Goa, third meeting from June 4-6 in Hyderabad, Telangana, and the fourth meeting and G20 health ministerial meeting will take place on August 17-19 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

It has identified three priority areas for the health track that includes focus on measures to prevent future outbreaks.

Using a One Health approach, it helps design, implement and monitor programmes, policies and research on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance to provide evidence and advance inter-sectoral collaboration between public health, animal and environmental health sectors to achieve better public health outcomes.

Apart from health emergencies, prevention preparedness and response, the other priority areas shortlisted by the health ministry are strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector for availability and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable medical countermeasures vaccine, therapeutics and diagnostics and digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve health care service delivery.

India will aim to play a proactive role in representing the Global South in the negotiations across multilateral Global health platforms.

The health ministry officials also said that India already has an established leadership position in digital health. Digital Health Resolution in the 71st World Health Assembly was moved by India and endorsed by the World.

India has been the Chair of the Global Digital Health Partnership, the largest inter-governmental body (33 countries as members) for Digital Health.

India formally assumed the Presidency of G-20 on December 1, 2022, and will hold it till November 30, 2023.