THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister of State for Health and
Family Welfare Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar has said that traditional medicine
systems will have a major role to play in promoting medical value travel in the
years to come.
“For centuries, traditional medicine has played a vital
role in promoting health in communities worldwide, and it continues to be a
first port of call and crucial resource for individuals,” Dr. Pawar said
while inaugurating the session on Medical Value Travel on the sidelines of the
first Health Working Group (HWG) meeting under G20 India Presidency, here on
Thursday (January 19).
Highlighting the wide acceptance of traditional medicine,
she said, “Traditional medicine is gaining worldwide recognition as an
effective tool for pain management and hold a lot of promise against antibiotic
resistance too. Over 170 of 194 WHO Member States have also reported the use of
traditional medicine.”
Dr. Pawar underscored India’s efforts towards creating a
unique ecosystem for holistic wellness and healthcare. “India has been able to
combine the best of modern and traditional medicine coupled with wellness
treatments. Also, our health system offers quality treatment, having widespread
availability and is one of the most affordable in the world,” she
said.
Dr. Pawar stated that “with G20 India Presidency, we have
the opportunity to create multilateral collaborations between countries,
facilitated by knowledge sharing, leading to formulation of effective policies
aiding accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare to citizens across the
world.”
Highlighting the philosophy of “Aarogyam Param Bhagyam,
Swasthyam Sarwaarth Sadhanam”, which translates as “Good Health is the Greatest
Fortune” and “Health is the only way to Happiness in the World”, Dr Pawar urged
the participants to promote value-based healthcare, Dr. Pawar urged the
stakeholders to discuss and enable equitable access to value-based healthcare
services across the globe.
Reiterating the need for a holistic policy framework to
promote Medical Value Travel, she said: “Medical Value Travel across most of
the countries is driven by the private sector. While this facilitates
provisioning of health services to needy patients cutting across geographical
boundaries, the policy imperative to promote Medical Value Travel needs to gain
momentum.
“Under G20 India Presidency, we plan to strive for equitable
access to healthcare for all and to help create a framework which can reduce
disparities in healthcare availability across the world. India envisions to
accelerate efforts towards increasing the pace of implementation of
value-based healthcare and achieving the goal of Universal Health Coverage
across the world,” she said.
She hoped that “G20 nations will forge a unique blueprint
for the future of medical value travel through effective collaborations.”
Dr. V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, Rajesh Kotecha,
Secretary (AYUSH), Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary (DHR) and Lav Agarwal, Additional
Secretary (MoHFW), along with senior officers of the Union Government, graced
the occasion.
Dr. Pawar along with other dignitaries also visited stalls
on wellness and medical value travel.
Representatives from the G20 member countries including
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Indonesia,
Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye,
The United Kingdom, United States of America and European Union attended the
event.
Special invitee countries included Bangladesh, Egypt,
Mauritius, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, Sultanate of Oman, The Netherlands and
United Arab Emirates.
International organizations such as Asian Development
Bank, African Union – AU, ASEAN, BMGF, CEPI, Commonwealth, FAO, G20 Innovation
Hub, GAVI, Global AMR R & D Hub, OECD, Rockefeller Foundation, STOP
TB-Partnership, World Economic Forum, Wellcome Trust, WHO, World Bank, UNICEF,
UNEP etc., also participated in the event.
For more information about Medical Value Travel,
please refer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZHK7GK0ly8&feature=youtu.be
