Excellencies and Delegates,Namaste. Warm greetings to everyone at the 78th Session of the World Health Assembly.
Friends,
The theme of the World Health Assembly this year is ‘One World for Health’. It resonates with India’s vision for global health. When I addressed this gathering in 2023, I had spoken about ‘One Earth, One Health’. The future of a healthy world depends on inclusion, integrated vision and collaboration.
Friends,
Inclusion is at the core of India’s health reforms. We run Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health insurance scheme. It covers 580 million people and provides free treatment. This programme was recently extended to cover all Indians above the age of 70 years. We have a network of thousands of health and wellness centres. They screen and detect diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Thousands of public pharmacies provide high-quality medicines at far less than the market price.
Friends,
Technology is an important catalyst to improve health outcomes. We have a digital platform to track vaccination of pregnant women and children. Millions of people have a unique digital health identity. It is helping us integrate benefits, insurance, records and information. With telemedicine, nobody is too far from a doctor. Our free telemedicine service has enabled over 340 million consultations.
Friends,
Due to our initiatives, there has been a heartening development. The Out-of-Pocket Expenditure as percentage of Total Health Expenditure has fallen significantly. At the same time, Government Health Expenditure has gone up considerably.
Friends,
The health of the world depends on how well we care for the most vulnerable. The Global South is particularly impacted by health challenges. India’s approach offers replicable, scalable and sustainable models. We would be happy to share our learnings and best practices with the world, especially the Global South.
Friends,
In June, the 11th International Day of Yoga is coming up. This year, the theme is ‘Yoga for One Earth, One Health’. Being from the nation which gave Yoga to the world, I invite all countries to participate.
Friends,
I congratulate the WHO and all member states on the successful negotiations of the INB treaty. It is a shared commitment to fight future pandemics with greater cooperation. While building a healthy planet, let us ensure that no one is left behind. Let me close with a timeless prayer from the Vedas. सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः। सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद् दुःखभाग्भवेत्॥ Thousands of years ago, our sages prayed that everyone should be healthy, happy and free from disease. May this vision unite the world.
Thank You!
