India-Africa Health Sciences Meet held in New Delhi

The meet offered a common platform to policy makers, technocrats, scientists, medical specialists, researchers and industry leaders from the two regions

A three-day ‘India-Africa Health Sciences Meet’ was recently held in New Delhi, where senior government representatives, technocrats, industry leaders and scientists from India, 20 African nations and 54 African diplomatic missions recently congregated. The theme for the event was ‘A Smart and Caring India for a Healthy Africa.’.

Jointly organised by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Ministry of External Affairs, the three-day meet offered a common platform to policy makers, technocrats, scientists, medical specialists, researchers and industry leaders from the two regions.

The event, representing an important milestone in global South-South collaboration, witnessed the presence of Jagat Prakash Nadda, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Ministry of Science and Technology, Nirmala Sitharaman, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Anupriya Patel, Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare along with Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Director General, ICMR and health ministers of six African nations.

Addressing the meet, Nadda said, “This is a very apt and opportune time to organise this summit to help establish a strong, reinvigorated, sustainable India-Africa partnership in the health sciences and disease management.”

Dr Swaminathan, Director General, ICMR, added, “As an economy in transition and a longstanding partner of Africa with major collaborations spanning all areas of development, India offers lucrative partnership opportunities to the region towards jointly enhancing capabilities in the health sciences.”
Elaborating on the meet, she said, “The deliberations at this meeting have been designed to facilitate optimal exchange and identify clear strategies to bridge critical gaps in human resource development, training, technology transfer, funding, entrepreneurship, public-private partnerships, and commerce and trade.”

IAHSM also released a comprehensive plan to take forward the recommendations emerging from the meet.

Addressing the valedictory session of the 3-day ‘India-Africa Health Sciences Meet’ Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh called for promoting ‘Public-Private Partnership’ (PPP) model in medical research.

Dr Singh appreciated the India-Africa initiative in the field of health sector and hoped that various research and education groups to be constituted will play a significant role in promoting the understanding of healthcare and research between African continent and Indian sub-continent.