Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Monday met Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and appreciated India’s Covid-19 management, besides discussing the country’s G20 health priorities.
According to Mandaviya, Gates and his team praised India’s vaccination drive against Covid-19 and digital health initiatives like Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. They also discussed schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (to make quality generic medicines available to all at affordable prices) and eSanjeevani (National Telemedicine Service).
“Wonderful meeting with @BillGates. He appreciated India’s COVID-19 Management, Vaccination Drive & Digital Health initiatives like Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. We discussed about India’s G20 health priorities, PM Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana and eSanjeevani,” Mandaviya tweeted after the meeting.
In a statement, the health ministry said Gates “appreciated how India worked excellently during COVID Pandemic.”
Pandemic policy is one of the key priorities for India in the health sector, during its G20 presidency. During the first G20 India Health Track meeting in Kerala on January 18, Union minister of state for health Bharati Pawar had said: “COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic. Learnings from the pandemic must form the agenda for our preparedness and response together. We need to diversify our capabilities and ensure that collectively, we preserve ourselves in the face of any health crisis.”
Meanwhile, Gates also visited the dedicated War Room named National Public Health Observatory which was shaped during Covid times. “It tracked COVID cases and Vaccination speedily and efficiently and currently, each health program and initiative using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other state-of-the-art technologies,” the health ministry’s statement said.