'Rapidly expanding access to affordable, accessible and quality healthcare for all': Health Minister Nadda at World Health Assembly
Geneva, May 20
Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Tuesday in his address at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva said that India is accelerating healthcare expansion and digital transformation as part of its push toward universal health coverage.
In his X post, Nadda reaffirmed India's commitment to "Universal Health Coverage, digital health innovation and global health solidarity," outlining key achievements in healthcare delivery and infrastructure.
He said, "Driven by a 'whole-of-government' and 'whole-of-society' approach, India is rapidly expanding access to affordable, accessible and quality healthcare for all."
"The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission continues to strengthen India's digital health ecosystem with over 880 million unique digital health IDs, enabling seamless and integrated healthcare delivery," he added.
He said, "Emphasised that the future of AI must be anchored in ethical, inclusive and human-centric systems that advance equitable and trusted healthcare globally."
In his address at the 79th World Health Assembly, Nadda highlighted India's "whole-of-government" and "whole-of-society" approach to healthcare reform, emphasising large-scale public health expansion.
He noted the creation of one lakh eighty-five thousand Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the country, stating that India has established, "1,85,000 health and wellness centres, namely Ayushman Arogya Mandirs."
The minister also underscored progress under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which has significantly expanded India's digital healthcare infrastructure. He said, "The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is strengthening India's national digital health ecosystem by creating over 880 million unique digital health identities, which facilitate longitudinal health records and seamless continuum of care."
Nadda further highlighted India's pandemic-era global outreach, recalling the country's vaccine diplomacy efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, through Vaccine Maitri initiatives under which India supplied 300 million vaccine doses to around 100 countries," he said, referring to the Vaccine Maitri initiative.
Emphasising the role of emerging technology, Nadda warned that innovation must remain human-centric, stating, "The future of AI depends on our collective ability to build an ethical and human-centric approach."
In another post on X, Nadda also held meetings with the health ministers from Nepal, Bhutan and Kenya, on the sidelines of the assembly, where he discussed cooperation in digital health, telemedicine, mental health, pharmaceuticals and capacity building.
He said, "On the sidelines of the Assembly, I was pleased to meet the Health Ministers from Nepal, Bhutan and Kenya and had fruitful discussions centred around the need for enhancing cooperation in digital health, including telemedicine, mental health, pharmaceuticals, capacity building and upskilling of healthcare professionals, among others, with a view to ensuring affordable and quality healthcare to all."
He said the engagements aimed at strengthening collaboration to ensure "affordable and quality healthcare to all."
— ANI
Reader Comments
Impressive numbers from India - 880 million digital health IDs and 300 million vaccine doses to 100 countries. That's real "Vaccine Maitri" in action. The world should take note of how India is using technology and scale to solve healthcare challenges. Also glad to see Nadda discussing cooperation with Nepal, Bhutan, and Kenya - South-South collaboration matters.
While these numbers look good on paper, the reality on ground is different. My village's Ayushman Arogya Mandir remains closed most days. The digital health ID is useless when the system crashes during peak hours. Let's focus on quality over quantity first. 🙏
Impressive that India is leading the conversation on ethical AI in healthcare. The "whole-of-government" approach is exactly what's needed for UHC. 300 million vaccine doses to 100 countries is incredible global solidarity. Hope other nations follow this model. 🇮🇳
Nadda ji is right - AI must be ethical and human-centric. But we also need to address the doctor-patient ratio in India. All these digital initiatives are useless if people can't see a doctor when they need one. The Ayushman Bharat scheme has helped many poor families, but implementation gaps remain. Good speech, but execution is key. 🇮🇳
The digital health IDs are a great idea in principle but the privacy concerns are real. My father's health data is now on some government server - who guarantees it won't be misused? Need stronger data protection laws before scaling up. Otherwise good international exposure for India
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