It is time India took lead in 'one earth, one health' vision: Mandaviya

It is time India took the lead in realising the "one earth, one health" vision with a holistic policy-making environment and aligned it with the philosophy of "vasudhaiva kutumbakam", Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has a strong political will to lead in innovative research and technology supported solutions which are commercially viable with universal acceptability, he said at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit 2023.

The summit has been themed "One Health: Integrated, Collaborative and Multisectoral Approach to Optimal Health".

"The 'one earth, one health' vision can become a reality only with active global collaboration where countries don't think of only themselves but of collective global outcomes," the minister said.

Mandaviya highlighted that the health sector cannot be limited to one country as the health and wellbeing of one country impacts the other.

"We live in an inter-dependent world, wherein not just countries but the health of human population is equally affected and influenced by the health of surrounding environment and animals," he stated.

The global pandemic has demonstrated that no country is immune from adverse developments in any country, and also that our actions impact the health and wellbeing of our eco-system.

"It is therefore our collective responsibility as a human race to not only protect ourselves but also ensure that our actions result in protecting the environment we co-exist in," he stressed. The vision of "one earth, one health" brings in sharp focus the importance of our actions and eco-friendly policies, he elaborated.

Applauding India's leading role in indigenous research and wealth of traditional therapies, Mandaviya highlighted that each country can have its own model of achieving the vision.

It is, however, important to learn from each other's best practices to enrich our models and work in synergy with each other to ensure that collective actions leave behind a healthier world than the one we inhabit, he stated.

Lauding the progress of initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and the success of Co-Win platform that is now shared as a public digital good, Mandaviya emphasised that health is perceived as "seva" -- service to others.

The minister also affirmed his confidence in the research institutions of the nation, and urged the participation and involvement of the academia and the private sector to contribute to research.