Gandhinagar: WHO summit on traditional medicine to be held during G20 health ministers’ meet
While G20 Deputies' Meeting is scheduled for August 17, the G20 Health Ministers' Meeting will take place on August 18 and 19. A Joint Finance-Health Ministers’ Meeting will be held on August 19.
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Combined sessions of G20 and side events will be held during these three days, said Lav Agarwal, Additional Secretary (Health and Family Welfare). As part of the three-day G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting under G20 India Presidency, beginning Thursday in Gandhinagar, the First World Health Organisation (WHO) Traditional Medicine Global Summit will explore the role of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine in addressing pressing health challenges.
Secretary (AYUSH) Rajesh Kotecha said in Gandhinagar, “The G20 is an unique opportunity to showcase India’s leadership in the field of traditional medicine. In the last nine years, India has developed eight folds in the field of traditional medicine. By the end of the year, more than 12,500 AYUSH-based health and wellness centres will be functional, of which 8,500 are already in place.”
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General, will inaugurate the event along with Union Minister of Health Mansukh Mandaviya and Union Minister of AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal. Also, G20 health ministers and high-level invitees from countries across WHO’s six regions are expected to participate along with scientists, practitioners of traditional medicine, health workers, members of civil society organisations. On Wednesday the WHO DG visited the health and wellness centre at Adraj-Moti village in Gandhinagar.
Kotecha said the WHO will convene the Traditional Medicine Global Summit, co-hosted by the Ministry of AYUSH, on Thursday. The ministry will organise yoga and meditation sessions at hotels and also conduct yoga sessions at Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre during the Summit. Three digital exhibitions will be also held on traditional medicine.
While G20 Deputies’ Meeting is scheduled for August 17, the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting will take place on August 18 and 19. A Joint Finance-Health Ministers’ Meeting will be held on August 19.
Combined sessions of G20 and side events will be held during these three days, said Lav Agarwal, Additional Secretary (Health and Family Welfare).
The focus of the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting will be on prevention of health emergencies as well as preparedness and response; strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector; and digital health solutions to aid universal coverage and improve healthcare service delivery.
Date With Dandiya
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus joined an impromptu dandiya session after landing in Ahmedabad on Wednesday alongside dancers who were present at the airport to welcome G20 delegates for the ministerial meeting of the health track, beginning Thursday. The AYUSH Ministry put out the video, extending a warm welcome to ‘Tulsi Bhai’ — a moniker given to him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To this, the PM replied: “My good friend Tulsi Bhai is clearly well prepared for Navratri.” Asked about the name, Ghebreyesus said he liked it, as it refers to a medicinal plant. The name was given to Ghebreyesus by Modi at the Global AYUSH Investment and Innovation Summit last year. —ENS
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