Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, spoke during the 4th Indo-US Health Dialogue’s final session on September 28, 2021. India was the host country for this meeting.
Highlights
Several ongoing collaborations in the health sector between the two countries were discussed during the two-day Dialogue.
Issues such as enhancing epidemiological research and surveillance, one health, vaccine development, zoonotic and vector-borne illnesses, health policies and systems, and others were covered throughout the debate.
At the end of the meeting, countries signed two MoUs:
The health ministry of India and the Department of Health and Human Services of the United States signed an (MOU) on collaboration in health and biomedical sciences.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases signed a second Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration with the International Centre for Excellence in Research (ICER).
As global partners, India and the United States must work together to modernize the global health infrastructure.
Other crucial areas
Management of health emergencies, mental health interventions, supporting digital health & innovation, and research & production linked to diagnostics, medicines, and vaccinations are critical areas in which both countries may collaborate. India can provide a low-cost research network as well as large production capacities in these sectors.
Relationships between India and the United States
The India-US relationship has broadened to include collaboration in trade, defense and security, civil nuclear energy, education, health, science and technology, space technology and applications, and the environment. In July 2009, both countries created a “Strategic Dialogue” to enhance bilateral collaboration across several areas.
“We all know that India and the United States are global partners, and we must work together to improve the global health infrastructure, whose flaws have become abundantly obvious during the current pandemic,” the health minister added.
Managing health emergencies, supporting digital health and innovation, mental health interventions, research and production related to diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines are critical areas where India and the US can collaborate, especially given India’s low-cost research network and large production capacities. He said this has consequences for drug access and pricing for the United States and India, and the entire world.
