GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, addressed the plenary session of the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, delivering a high-profile pitch for equitable, inclusive, and technology-driven global healthcare. Speaking on the global theme, “Reshaping Global Health: A Shared Responsibility,” Nadda outlined India’s comprehensive structural reforms and its rapid acceleration toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC) under the foundational vision of “Health for All.”.
During the 6-day global assembly, which brought together health ministers and medical experts from more than 165 nations, Nadda positioned India as an administrative blueprint for developing nations struggling to scale up medical access. He emphasized that India’s public healthcare strategy is deliberately anchored in a meticulous “whole-of-government” and “whole-of-society” approach.
India’s Healthcare Footprint Scaled Globally at WHA79
===========================================================
[Primary Care Centers] █████████████████ 1.85 Lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs
[Digital Identities] █████████████████████████ 880M+ Unique Health IDs
[Pandemic Solidarity] █████████ 300 Million Vaccine Doses Exported
===========================================================
The Power of Primary Care and Digital Ecosystems
A key pillar of Nadda’s address was the real-world operational success of India’s decentralized infrastructure. The Health Minister officially informed the international delegation that India has successfully operationalized over 1,85,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (formerly Health and Wellness Centres) across the subcontinent. These localized facilities effectively move diagnostic screening and comprehensive primary care out of congested tier-1 urban hubs and drop them directly into rural and semi-urban communities.
Turning his focus to modern technology, Nadda detailed the country’s sweeping digital health architecture under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). He revealed that the digital system has generated more than 880 million unique digital health identities. This massive computing network allows for longitudinal digital medical records and guarantees a secure, seamless continuum of care for hundreds of millions of citizens across state borders.
Pioneering “All-Inclusive Intelligence”
On the sidelines of the primary assembly, Nadda took center stage at a dedicated ministerial side event titled “Artificial Intelligence in Health: Laws, Ethical Oversight, Research and Equity.”. Here, he debuted India’s Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (SAHI), marking it as the first major comprehensive framework emerging specifically from the Global South designed to regulate digital algorithms ethically.
“The future of AI in healthcare will be defined by collective human choices, not algorithms alone,” Nadda stated, warning against unregulated commercial models that could exacerbate geographic inequalities. Referencing a philosophical concept derived from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nadda challenged global tech architects to pivot their terminology. He asserted that India does not believe merely in “Artificial Intelligence” but strives for “All-Inclusive Intelligence,” guaranteeing that technological advancements remain fundamentally anchored in public trust, rigid ethical oversight, and equity.
Bilateral Alliances and Global Solidarity
Reaffirming India’s historic reputation as the “Pharmacy of the World,” Nadda reminded the assembly of India’s unmatched global health cooperation during recent biological crises. Through the landmark “Vaccine Maitri” initiative, India seamlessly manufactured and dispatched over 300 million vaccine doses to roughly 100 vulnerable countries, demonstrating its unwavering commitment to global health solidarity.
Bilateral Engagements at WHA79 Sidelines
———————————————————–
* WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Global Equity)
* Thailand (Medical devices, disease surveillance, capacity building)
* Iran, Netherlands, Sweden, and Mauritius (Digital health ecosystems)
———————————————————–
Nadda’s itinerary in Geneva was highlighted by a high-level, constructive meeting with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The Director-General highly praised India’s extensive sector reforms and its active domestic leadership in driving public health partnerships.
Additionally, Nadda engaged in targeted bilateral talks with health ministers from Thailand, Iran, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Mauritius. The collaborative talks primarily focused on cross-border data interoperability, streamlining pharmaceutical supply lines, pandemic surveillance networks, and expanding India’s successful targeted strategies to achieve total Tuberculosis (TB) elimination. Nadda urged the international assembly to transition away from abstract policy talk and convert shared responsibilities into immediate, legally binding actions for a resilient global future.
