Diseases know no borders, Covid underlined need for joint effort: Mandaviya

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Lal Mandaviya on Thursday said diseases know no borders and that the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for collaborations among countries. 

Addressing the BRICS Health Ministers Meeting 2023 on the sidelines of the 76th World Health Assembly, the minister said that the Coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for increased collaboration in the development of vaccines.

Mandaviya, in his address, highlighted the importance of collaborative research in mitigating and responding effectively to global health crises. He said, "The pandemic has highlighted the need for increased collaboration and synergy in the development of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics."

In order to provide access to safe and affordable vaccines, alongside sustainable vaccine research and development, the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre can play an important role, the minister added.

He also proposed the rotatory chairmanship of the steering and scientific committees of the centre to ensure optimal benefits for BRICS nations, the report added.

He also shared India's commitment to eliminate Tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, five years ahead of the target set under Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3.3.

In order to create a safe and effective vaccine for TB, the health minister suggested expanding collaboration within the BRICS TB network. 

Three core agendas for the transformation of the global healthcare landscape: Healthcare Emergency Preparedness, Equitable Access to Medical Countermeasures, and Digital Health were also highlighted by the minister during his address. 

The report also stated that India in the past has implemented several initiatives, which were not only focused on treatment but also on nutritional assistance, thereby resulting in a 13 per cent reduction in TB cases and a 15 per cent reduction in TB mortality from 2015 to 2022, surpassing global reductions.