On 7th October 2024, Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW), addressed the 77th session of World Health Organisation (WHO) Southeast Asia Region (SEARO), one of the 6 WHO regions, in New Delhi, Delhi.
- The 77th session of the Regional Committee (RC77) for Southeast Asia was held from 7th to 9th October, 2024.
- The session of WHO SEARO meeting included election of office bearers, establishment of a “Drafting Group for Resolutions and Decisions”, adoption of “Special Procedures” to regulate the conduct of the session and adoption of the provisional Agenda.
Key Dignitaries: Dr. Razia Pendse, Chef de Cabinet, WHO Headquarters; Representatives from member countries of SEARO (Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Timor Leste, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (South Korea)), Dr. Rodrigo Offrin, WHO Representative to India; Punita Salila Srivastava, Secretary, MoHFW; were present at the event.
Key Highlights:
i.During his inaugural address, Union Minister JP Nadda underscored that health system of India embraces a “whole of government” and “whole of society” approach to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), with emphasis on strengthening primary healthcare and essential services.
ii.He highlighted that the Government of India (GoI) launched the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), world’s largest publicly funded health assurance scheme, which is in line with its commitment to provide health cover for all.
- This initiative covers over 120 million (12 crore) families, providing an annual hospitalization benefit of USD 6,000 (Rs 5 lakh) per family.
- He further mentioned that GoI has recently expanded the scheme to all citizens aged 70 years and above, which will benefit around 45 million elderly population, by providing them free health insurance coverage.
iii.While, recognizing the increasing public health challenges posed by Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), he informed that India is implementing the National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs since 2010 to address NCDs like: hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
- So far, 753 NCD clinics, 356 Day Care Centers, and 6,238 Community Health Centers (CHCs) have been established to focus on preventive measures at an early stage.
iv.He described India, as a lighthouse country in the digital health sector, is poised to share its Digital Public Infrastructure (DPIs), such as: Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), e-Sanjeevani, Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP), and SAKSHAM, by facilitating technical and financial support through the Global Initiative on Digital Health, a WHO managed network, launched during India’s G20 Presidency in 2023.
Key Progress Made by South-East Asian Countries in Health Sector:
i.Bangladesh became the 1st country in SE Asian Region to eliminate Kala-Azar and was also validated for the eradication of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem.
ii.Thailand became one of the five countries to be validated for the elimination of transfat from its food supply.
iii.Both the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Timor Leste were certified for the elimination of rubella and Bhutan is on progress, with interruption of rubella transmission for over 36 months.
iv.India is all set to become the 20th to be validated for the elimination of trachoma; and Timor Leste will become the 21st country to be validated for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem.
Key Challenges faced by SE Asia Region:
i.The increasing burden of NCDs and mental health;
ii.The unfinished business of reducing neonatal and under-5 mortality;
iii.The growing threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR);
iv.Inequitable access to health services and essential medicines;
v.The growing burden of Tuberculosis;
vi.And the ever-present threat of epidemics, pandemics and other emergencies.
Union Minister JP Nadda Elected as the Chairperson of the 77th Session of WHO SEARO Committee
Union Health Minister JP Nadda Elected as the Chairperson of the 77th Session of WHO SEARO Committee (RC77) in New Delhi, Delhi.
About WHO SEARO:
i.The 1st regional committee for South-East was constituted in 1948.
ii.The committee comprises 11 member nations from South-East Asia region: Bangladesh, Bhutan Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
iii.The representatives of 11 member countries meets annually to discuss important public health challenges.
About World Health Organisation (WHO):
Director General (DG)- Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia- Saima Wazed
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
Established – 7th April, 1948
