WHO welcomes India's role in global health, Tedros lauds PM Modi's vaccine commitment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday discussed the ongoing global collaboration for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO chief then thanked PM Modi for his strong commitment to Covax and making COVID-19 vaccines a global public good.

'WHO welcomes India's leading role in global health'

In a tweet, he said, "The pandemic is an unprecedented challenge for the world, and we agreed to work shoulder to shoulder to end it." Tedros said he had a "very productive" telephone call with PM Modi during which both of them talked about ways to "strengthen our collaboration and advance access to knowledge, research and training in traditional medicine globally".

PM, WHO D-G discuss global collaboration against COVID-19

PM Modi had a telephone conversation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) DG and he expressed his appreciation for the WHO's important role in facilitating a coordinated global response to the pandemic, a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) statement said. During the call, PM Modi noted the need to not lose sight of the battle against other diseases and appreciated the importance of WHO's support to the health systems of developing countries.

The WHO Director-General stressed the close and regular collaboration between the WHO and the Indian health authorities, and especially appreciated the country's domestic initiatives like the Ayushman Bharat scheme and the campaign against tuberculosis, the PMO said.

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PM Modi and the WHO Director-General also had a productive discussion on the value of traditional medicinal systems, especially for enhancing wellness and immunity of the global population, the statement said.  They agreed on the need for integrating traditional medicine solutions into modern medical practice through holistic protocols, and for careful scientific validation of time-tested traditional medicine products and practices, it added.

The WHO chief stressed that the potential of traditional medicine had not been adequately appreciated until now, and said that the WHO was actively working to encourage research, training, and sharing of best practices in this area. PM Modi appreciated these efforts, and informed the WHO Director-General about the planned celebration of Ayurveda Day in India on November 13 under the theme of 'Ayurveda for COVID-19'.

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(With agency inputs)