G20 Health Ministers meeting to start from August 17 in Gandhinagar

Delegates from 19 member countries, 10 invited states, and 22 international organisations will be participating in the meeting in Gujarat

The meeting of G20 Health Ministers under the G20 India Presidency will be held from August 17 to August 19 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a press release.

India assumed the presidency of the G20 on December 1, 2022 and is currently part of the G20 Troika comprising Indonesia, India, and Brazil.

The press release stated that the meeting will focus on three key priorities of the G20 health track, including health emergencies prevention, preparedness and response with a focus on anti-microbial resistance and One Health framework; strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on access and availability to safe, effective, quality, and affordable medical countermeasures; and digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service delivery.

A Joint Finance-Health Ministers' meeting will also be held on August 19 as a focus event of the G20 Health Ministers' meeting.

Besides the G20 Health Minister's meeting, there will be four side events, including one earth one health advantage health care-India 2023; WHO traditional medicine global summit; India Medtech expo 2023; and 'sustain, accelerate and innovate to end TB in Southeast Asia region' conference.

Rajesh Kotecha, secretary, AYUSH, said, "The G20 is a unique opportunity to showcase India's leadership in traditional medicine. By the end of the year, more than 12,500 AYUSH-based health and wellness centres will be functional across the nation, out of which 8,500 are already in place."

The Global Centre on Traditional Medicines in Jamnagar, Gujarat is the first such centre in a developing country, Kotecha said.

According to the press release, he further said that the World Health Organisation (WHO) will convene the Traditional Medicine Global Summit, co-hosted by the Ministry of AYUSH, on August 17-18 in Gandhinagar.

The summit will focus on the role of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine in addressing pressing health challenges and driving progress in global health and sustainable development.

The side event on medical value travel, advantage health care India 2023 will focus on global collaborations and partnerships for building resilient healthcare systems.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated that the G20 India Presidency will be inclusive, action-oriented, and decisive. The theme is 'one earth, one family, one future', and is based on India's philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'.

Delegates from 19 member countries, 10 invited states, and 22 international organisations will participate in the Gandhinagar meeting. Several cultural programmes have been planned to showcase India's diversity and culture based on the Indian philosophy of 'Atithi Devo Bhava'.

As chair of the G20 Presidency, India aims to consolidate health priorities and key takeaways from previous presidencies and also wants to highlight critical areas that require strengthening.