There is a need to strengthen and develop resilient and sustainable medical research and development, local and regional manufacturing capacities, supply chain ecosystem..Gandhinagar, Gujarat (ANTARA) - The G20 Health Ministers met in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, on Saturday, reaffirmed their commitment to continue to strengthen the Global Health Architecture.
At the meeting, they discussed major global health priorities and challenges.
On the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministers arrived at a consensus to build more resilient, equitable, sustainable, and inclusive health systems equipped to address ongoing global health challenges and future public health emergencies with equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other medical countermeasures, especially in Low-and Middle-income Countries (LMICs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDs).
"There is a need to strengthen and develop resilient and sustainable medical research and development, local and regional manufacturing capacities, supply chain ecosystem, health workforce, and the integration of interoperable digital health solutions in the health systems, especially at the primary health care level," they said as noted in an outcome document.
At the meeting, the G20 health ministers also reaffirmed the importance of strengthening national health systems by putting people at the center of preparedness and equipping them to respond effectively.
"We also recognize the importance of mainstreaming a gender perspective when designing health systems, considering the specific needs of women and girls, with a view to achieving gender equality in health systems," they stated.
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Under the overarching theme of India’s G20 Presidency -- "One Earth, One Family, One Future" -- the ministers deliberated on three main focuses, one of which is health emergencies' prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR), with focus on One Health and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
Another focus is strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector, with focus on availability and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable medical countermeasures - vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics (VTDs).
The third focus is the digital health innovation and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service delivery.
On the occasion, Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin conveyed Indonesia's three agendas in the health sector at the opening of the G20 Health Ministers' Meeting in India.
Out of the three health agendas pushed by Indonesia at the meeting, one pertained to advancing the One Health Declaration and implementing the operationalization of the One Health concept in real action.
The second agenda is to follow up on the results of the G20 Health Ministers' Meeting in Indonesia by advancing the Mechanism of Global Medical Countermeasures Platform as a substitute for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A).
The third agenda is to encourage innovation and digital solutions in the health sector, including the application of new technology and intelligence that will improve health services through expanding access, improving service quality, and integrating health information systems.
Related news: Minister Sadikin conveys Indonesia's health agendas at G20 India
Reporter: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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