G20: Thiruvananthapuram to hold first health working group meeting from Jan 18

NEW DELHI:  The first Health Working Group (HWG) meeting under India’s G20 presidency will be held in Thiruvananthapuram from January 18-20, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. The Health Track of the G20 India Presidency will comprise four HWG meetings and one Health Ministerial Meeting (HMM).

The meetings will be held in different locations across the country, including Kerala, Goa, Telangana and Gujarat, highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to action to showcase India’s rich and diverse cultures, the ministry said in a statement. India also plans to host a side event with each HWG meeting to enrich, supplement and support G20 discussions.

These include side events on Medical Value Travel and Digital Health; a workshop on collaborative research on drugs, diagnostics and vaccines; and a cobranded event on Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. The side event on Medical Value Travel will be held on the sidelines of the First meeting of HWG at Thiruvananthapuram, the ministry added.

India, during its presidency, will focus on three main priorities — health emergencies, preparedness and response; strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector; and digital health innovation and solutions.

Health emergencies prevention and preparedness and response with a focus on One Health and antibiotic resistance is top on the agenda, and India will aim to play a major role in converging discussions for global health architecture and act as an enabler to reduce fragmentation and duplication, the ministry said. Another focus would be on strengthening cooperation for access to safe, medical countermeasures, the statement said.