Under its G20 presidency, India has proposed a medical countermeasure coordination platform to effectively deal with health shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus is on establishing a comprehensive global medical countermeasure ecosystem, utilizing a network-to-network approach, and capitalizing on existing global and regional initiatives. The declaration was made at the 3rd Health Working Group meeting held in Hyderabad on June 4.
Medical countermeasures refer to a broad range of interventions and strategies designed to prevent, diagnose, treat, or mitigate the effects of various public health threats. Medical countermeasures encompass a variety of tools and approaches, including vaccines, antiviral drugs, antibiotics, antitoxins, diagnostic tests, personal protective equipment (PPE), medical devices, and therapeutics.
They are developed and deployed to protect individuals and communities from the adverse health effects of these threats. Medical countermeasures play a crucial role in public health preparedness and response. They are used to prevent or control the spread of diseases, minimize illness and death, reduce the impact on healthcare systems, and support recovery efforts during emergencies and pandemics.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed the urgent need for a multi-disease, end-to-end medical countermeasures platform for the rapid development of, and equitable access to, pandemic tools. A comprehensive process is needed to devise such a platform to bring coherence to a fragmented landscape of initiatives and ensure that equity and the needs of underserved populations are at their center.
India has called upon the leaders of G20 nations to establish an interim platform that follows the guidance of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) process and contributes to its objectives. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare emphasized the importance of ensuring the availability of safe, effective, and high-quality medical countermeasures. Recognizing the alignment between the priorities of the G7 and G20, which includes the launch of the MCM Delivery Partnership during Japan’s G7 Presidency, India urged the international community to enhance ongoing endeavors in this regard.
Global health systems experts believe that India is in a strong position to develop an effective medical countermeasures framework involving all nations to ensure drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic services equitably reach the needy.
Under India’s G20 leadership, the emphasis is being placed on highlighting this issue and discussing ways in which countries can collaborate on medical countermeasures. The focus is on improving the development of vaccines and drugs, expediting their delivery to people, and ensuring a fair system where those in dire need receive them promptly.
Three priorities are emphasized within the health track under India’s G20 presidency. The first priority centers around health emergency prevention, preparedness, and response, specifically targeting issues such as antimicrobial resistance and the One Health framework. The second priority is to enhance cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector, with a specific focus on improving access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable medical countermeasures. Lastly, the third priority involves promoting digital health innovations and solutions to support universal health coverage and enhance the delivery of healthcare services.
At the working group meeting, top officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare noted the need for “Health for All” and emphasized that this was an important agenda outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. They mentioned that it was also a pertinent theme in the recently concluded 76th World Health Assembly. The theme of India’s G20 Presidency, “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” also alludes to the wider concept of universal health coverage.
The proposal for the MCM platform was presented at the session titled, “Strengthening Cooperation in Pharmaceutical Sector with Focus on Access and Availability to Safe, Effective, Quality and Affordable Medical Countermeasures”. Discussions in this session revolved around vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics (VTD) as well as building research and development manufacturing networks, facilitating upstream and downstream delivery of VTDs across the globe.
Medical countermeasures play a crucial role in public health preparedness and response. They are used to prevent or control the spread of diseases, minimize illness and death, reduce the impact on healthcare systems, and support recovery efforts during emergencies and pandemics.
The development, approval, and distribution of medical countermeasures involve rigorous scientific research, clinical trials, regulatory processes, and coordination among various stakeholders, including governments, public health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and healthcare providers.
References:
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1929626