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New Delhi : Union Health & Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was elected as Chair of the Executive Board (EB) of World Health Organization (WHO) for the year 2020-21 on May 22, 2020, today during the 147th session of the Executive Board. He has replaced Dr Hiroki Nakatani of Japan.
Accepting the Chair of the Executive Board, Dr Vardhan paid tribute to the lakhs of people who have lost their lives due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. He requested all dignitaries present on the ocassion to give a standing ovation to all the frontline health workers and other COVID Warriors by saluting their dignity, determination and dedication. “I feel deeply honoured to have the trust and faith of all of you. India, and all my countrymen, too, feel privileged that this honour has been bestowed upon us,” he stated.
Dr Vardhan stated, “All these challenges demand a shared response, because these are shared threats requiring a shared responsibility to act.” He said that, “The pandemic has made humanity acutely aware of the consequences of ignoring the strengthening and preparedness of our healthcare systems. In such times of global crisis, both risk management and mitigation would require further strengthening of global partnerships to re-energise interest and investment in global public health.”
Dr Vardhan also shared India’s experience of combating COVID-19. He noted, “We have a mortality of 3 per cent only. In a country of 1.35 billion, there are only 0.1 million cases of COVID19. The recovery rate is above 40 per cent and the doubling rate is 13 days.”
As the new Chair of the Executive Board of WHO, Dr Vardhan underlined the need for higher commitments in respect of diseases that have plagued humankind for centuries, collaborations for supplementing each other by pooling of global resources, an aggressive roadmap to curtail deaths from diseases that can be eliminated, a fresh roadmap to address global shortages of medicine and vaccine and the need for reforms.
“I am sure that constant engagement with member states and other stakeholders will reinforce reforms and help accelerate progress towards achieving sustainable development goals and universal health coverage with the most productive, efficient and targeted utilisation of resources. I will put myself to work to realise the collective vision of our organisation, to build the collective capacity of all our member nations and also build a heroic collective leadership,” he stated.
Dr Vardhan while taking charge as the Chair of the EB also shared his thoughts on the future health scenario of the world. “I believe that health is central to economic performance and to enhancing human capabilities. However, public health policy must be based and guided on a proper understanding of nature. This is also the underlying principle of the Indian traditional systems of medicine based on holistic health and wellness, which I have lived and experienced,” he said, according to a PIB release.
He also outlined the policy of India towards ‘Universal Health for All’ through national flagships programmes such as Ayushman Bharat with its twin pillars of Health & Wellness centres (HWCs) and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
DR Vardhan did his graduation and post-graduation in medicine from G.S.V.M. Medical College, Kanpur, in 1979 and 1983, respectively.