Access to medical products key to SDGS: Harsh Vardhan
NEWDELHI: Access to medical products and creating an enabling legal and trade environment for the public were critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) 2030 agenda, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday.
Inaugurating the “2019 World Conference on Access to Medical Products: Achieving the SDGS 2030”, Vardhan said the government was initiating measures and making constant efforts for providing the highest possible standards of healthcare to citizens. “A universal health coverage is key to the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 agenda and to which India is firmly committed. Access to medical products and creating an enabling legal and trade environment for the public are critical to achieving the SDGS,” Vardhan said.
The main objective of the conference is accelerating access to medical products for achieving a universal health coverage in the context of the SDGS.
The conference, organised by the health ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO), will spur innovative thinking around issues surrounding the provisioning of affordable, quality medical products as part of public healthcare delivery systems, Vardhan said.
“We must optimally develop a robust system of sharing knowledge and other resources and to practically translate discussions held at this World Conference for larger public welfare,” he added.
Vardhan further announced that the 2020 World Conference will be held from September 23 to 25 next year.
It will be followed by the “International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities (ICDRA)”, which India will be hosting for the first time. The event will take place from September 28 to October 2, 2020.