Reddy attended the G20 session on health emergency prevention, preparedness and response with delegates in Goa this week to discuss collaborative surveillance systems supported by advanced laboratory networks and relevant infrastructure.
He believes that predictive modeling and control, used in infectious disease control and climate change, are essential.
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“However, the usefulness of any predictive model depends on the representativeness, accuracy, and timeliness of the input data. Thus, our data collection and data integration systems across sites and species must improve. This requires multidisciplinary expertise and multisectoral efficiency.”
In late 2021 and early 2022, India experienced multiple global outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 that severely affected migratory birds.
On key recommendations for India to deal with future zoonoses and the triple planetary crisis – the climate change crisis; Regarding the loss of nature and biodiversity and pollution, Reddy, also a top cardiologist, said: “We need to recognize that the interconnected pathways of human disease are being created by deforestation, which breaks down the natural ecological barriers that prevent microbial migration between species, and climate change, which expands the spread of diseases. rate of viruses and their vectors, along with loss of biodiversity that reduces the availability of protective vegetation and eliminates natural predators of insects that are vectors of pathogenic viruses.
“Acting together, these disruptive changes create conveyor belts for the spread of zoonotic diseases. Our response must be corrective, not just combative.”
Climate Change: The G20 Presidency
As part of the Health Working Group for the G20 held in Goa on April 20, the Asian Development Bank, together with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, organized a side event to discuss the importance of addressing climate change as part of a holistic approach. health training.
Alignment of health sector development with the Paris Agreement has increased among governments, international agencies and non-state actors since the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021.
Following the events in Glasgow, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Alliance for Transformative Action for Climate and Health (ATACH), which now supports 63 countries, 24 of which are committed to net zero health.
Last year, G7 health ministers also announced their goal of building climate-proof health systems by 2050.
India’s chairmanship of the G20 is leading this momentum and building on ongoing work for the health sector.
According to Reddy, it is important for India to develop a national roadmap for a zero-emission healthcare sector.
“There is both a need and an opportunity to move to a zero-emissions healthcare sector as we increase our investment in expanding and strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country in light of the Covid-19 experience,” he said.
“This initiative should involve both the public and private sectors. It should include measures at the level of health facilities as well as procurement systems across the long supply chains of the health sector.”
Health leaders from Indonesia, Brazil, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Spain and the US reiterated the need for urgent collective action to combat climate change.
They emphasized the need for health leadership in climate action and expressed strong support for the decarbonisation and sustainability of the health sector, currently the fifth largest global greenhouse gas emitter, to be adopted by the G20.
In the context of accelerating health impacts of the climate crisis, the ADB reiterated its announcement to increase its climate financing ambition to $100 billion by 2030.
Many developed, middle- and low-income economies have committed to net-zero health care by 2050. In total, commitments account for 48 percent of total global emissions from this sector.
As low- and middle-income countries invest in health development, they must also transition their health systems to become low-carbon, climate-resilient.
Source: IANS
