THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar has called for "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".

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), Dr Pawar said there must be a holistic policy framework to promote Medical Value Travel. 

“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.” 

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. 

She said 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. 

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 also 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. 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.