India in strong position to develop medical countermeasures for equitable drugs, vaccine distribution: WHO official

India is in a strong position to develop an effective medical countermeasures framework involving all nations to ensure drugs, vaccines and diagnostic services equitably reach the needy, said a top WHO official on Monday.

Under its G20 presidency, India has proposed a medical countermeasure coordination platform to effectively deal with challenges of any COVID-like pandemic. 

Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director at WHO Health Emergency Programme in Geneva, who is attending the third G20 Health Working Group meeting being held here from June 4 to 6, said the future of health and pandemic preparedness is stronger with the leadership of India in this meeting.

The third Health Working Group Meeting of G20 under India's presidency will voice the challenges of the global south and contribute to establishing regional networks catering to vaccine therapeutics, research and manufacturing networks and the creation of a global medical countermeasures coordination platform, officials have said.

India's G20 presidency focuses on three priorities in the health track.

One of the priorities is health emergency prevention, preparedness and response with a focus on anti-microbial resistance and the One Health framework.