NEW DELHI, March 17: Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Singh Patel, inaugurated the QUAD Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness for the Indo-Pacific Region in New Delhi today.
Under India’s presidency, the three-day workshop is being jointly organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The event aims to strengthen global health emergency frameworks, enhance preparedness and resilience to health threats, and ensure coordinated responses to evolving pandemics. The workshop also focuses on implementing the One Health approach, addressing human, animal, and environmental health through a multisectoral lens.
More than 25 delegates from 15 countries across the Indo-Pacific region, including Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Palau, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, and international health organizations, are participating in the workshop.
Addressing the gathering, Mrs. Patel emphasized that the rise of emerging and re-emerging health threats highlights the critical necessity for strengthened preparedness, enhanced surveillance, and coordinated international response mechanisms to safeguard global health security. She also highlighted India’s commitment to global pandemic preparedness, informing the attendees that India has contributed USD 10 million towards the establishment of the Pandemic Fund, which was specially conceptualized for combating pandemics. Furthermore, India has pledged an additional USD 12 million to support the sustained functioning of the fund.
In his address, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, discussed efforts to integrate health services in the country. He described the workshop as a unique opportunity to address health challenges collaboratively with like-minded partner countries. Prof. Sood emphasized the need to strengthen regional health networks and prepare for zoonotic diseases, especially in countries with significant livestock sectors.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava stated that the workshop provides a valuable opportunity to exchange knowledge, share best practices, and, most importantly, strengthen health systems in the Indo-Pacific region to respond effectively to future healthcare crises. She underscored that the Quad has emerged as a significant force for health security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, leveraging India’s vast vaccine production capacity, the United States’ cutting-edge research, Japan’s technological expertise, and Australia’s strong regional engagement.
