'One Earth, One Health' vision can become reality when countries don't think of only themselves: Health Minister

The Health Minister said that 'One Earth, One Health' vision can be turned into reality once when the countries collaborate globally without thinking only about themselves, "but of collective global outcomes".

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday shed light on the 'One Earth, One Health' vision, and said that India has a strong political will to lead in innovative research and technology-supported solutions under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Health Minister said that 'One Earth, One Health' vision can be turned into reality once when the countries collaborate globally without thinking only about themselves, "but of collective global outcomes".

The remarks of Mandaviya came while addressing CII partnership summit 2023 on 'One Health: Integrated, Collaborative and Multisectoral Approach to Optimal Health' here today. "It is time that India takes the lead in the realization of the "One Earth, One Health" vision with a holistic and integrative eco and nature-friendly policy-making environment, and aligns it with our philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam for global health and wellbeing. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has a strong political will to lead in innovative research and technology supported solutions which are commercially viable with universal acceptability," he said.

"The One Earth, One Health vision can become a reality only with active global collaboration where countries don't think of only themselves, but of collective global outcomes," the Minister added. Noting the importance of a broad and comprehensive spread of the health sector across countries, he said that the countries which today are inter-dependent are "equally affected and influenced" by the health of one another.

"Health sector cannot be limited to one country as the health and well-being of one country impact the other. We live in an interdependent world, wherein not just countries but the health of the human population is equally affected and influenced by the health of the surrounding environment and animals," he said. Mentioning the pandemic, the Minister said that it demonstrated that no country is immune from adverse developments in any country.

"...our actions impact the health and wellbeing of our eco-system. It is, therefore, our collective responsibility as a human race to not only protect ourselves but also ensure that our actions result in protecting the environment we co-exist in. The vision of "One Earth, One Health" brings in sharp focus the importance of our actions and eco-friendly policies," he said. Applauding India's leading role in indigenous research and wealth of traditional therapies, Mandaviya highlighted that each country can have its own model of ensuring "One Earth, One Health".

"It is however important to learn from each others' best practices to enrich our models and work in synergy with each other to ensure that our collective actions leave behind a healthier world than the one we inhabit," he stated. "India's model of Integrative Medicine is an example of this, where it synergizes the modern medicine with a focus on wellness incorporating the traditional principles of Ayurveda inherent in India," the Minister added.

Lauding the progress of initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat scheme and the success of Co-Win platform that is now shared as a public digital good, Mandaviya emphasized that health is perceived as 'seva' i.e. service to others. The Health Minister also affirmed his confidence in the research institutions of the nation, and urged the participation and involvement of academia, private sector to contribute to research. (ANI)

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