Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, May 20: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda addressed the plenary session of the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, reaffirming India’s commitment towards equitable, inclusive and people-centric healthcare under the vision of “Health for All”.

Addressing the Assembly on the theme “Reshaping Global Health: A Shared Responsibility”, Nadda highlighted India’s comprehensive approach towards strengthening healthcare systems through a “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-society” model.

“India is accelerating towards Universal Health Coverage by expanding access to quality and affordable healthcare,” he said during his address.

The Union Minister informed delegates that more than 1.85 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been established across the country to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services closer to communities.

Highlighting India’s efforts in strengthening public health preparedness, Nadda said the government continues to enhance healthcare infrastructure and emergency response systems to effectively tackle future public health challenges.

He also stressed the growing role of technology in transforming healthcare delivery and noted that the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission has significantly strengthened India’s digital health ecosystem.

“The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is creating over 880 million unique digital health identities, facilitating longitudinal health records and seamless healthcare services,” he said.

Nadda further underlined the impact of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, describing it as the world’s largest public health assurance scheme benefiting nearly 600 million people, particularly vulnerable sections of society.

On the role of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare, the Minister informed the Assembly that India has recently launched a dedicated Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.

“The future of AI depends on our collective ability to build ethical and human-centric systems,” he said.

Reiterating India’s global role in healthcare, Nadda described the country as the “Pharmacy of the World” and highlighted India’s contribution in supplying affordable generic medicines and vaccines worldwide.

Referring to India’s assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said that under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India supplied nearly 300 million vaccine doses to around 100 countries.

Concluding his address, Nadda called for stronger global cooperation in healthcare.

“In the spirit of solidarity, let this Assembly move forward to transform policy into impact and shared responsibility into a healthier future for all,” he said.