India and Nepal have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening health sector collaboration during a bilateral meeting held on May 20 in Geneva, alongside the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA).
India’s Health Secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava, met with Nepal’s Health and Population Minister, Pradip Paudel, to discuss key areas of mutual interest. The discussions focused on improving access to affordable medicines, tackling both communicable and non-communicable diseases, advancing digital health solutions, and enhancing the skills of healthcare workers in both countries.
India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare highlighted the meeting in a post on X, emphasizing the strong and supportive partnership between the two nations.
The assembly also marked a proud achievement for India, as the country was officially recognized by the World Health Organization for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus presented the certificate to India during the event.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda celebrated the recognition, calling it a proud moment for the nation at WHA78.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed the World Health Assembly virtually from New Delhi, under the theme “One World for Health.” In his speech, he highlighted India’s global health contributions and shared the success of the Ayushman Bharat scheme the world’s largest government health insurance program, which provides free medical care to over 580 million people.
PM Modi emphasized three key principles for building a healthier global future: inclusion, an integrated vision, and international collaboration.
