NEW DELHI: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan left for Japan on Thursday to attend the G20 Summit meeting at Osaka, where India will reiterate and endorse the importance of Universal Health Coverage financing in developing countries.
India will also be stressing on the significance for generating domestic resources, while using external aid strategically towards achieving UHC.
''Leaving for G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan. Looking forward to addressing the joint session of Health & Finance Ministers- an opportunity to highlight India's advances towards meeting UHC goals,'' the Minister tweeted before leaving for Japan.
He will also address the Joint Session of Health and Finance Ministers on June 28.
Japan is hosting the first ever joint session of Health and Finance Ministers in the G20 Summit on Friday.
Dr Vardhan will highlight the complementary relationship between Finance and Health Ministries which is critical to strengthening the health-finance governance and for mobilizing sustainable resources for health.
In view of the major initiative to fulfill the vision of UHC, Dr Vardhan will also highlight the Ayushman Bharat programme which provides for holistic and integrated health care and is the principal vehicle for achieving UHC.
The AB-Health and Wellness Centres provide essential primary and community health services such as maternal, neonatal and child health services including immunization and nutrition, thus fostering human capital development during children's critical early years.
These Centres also provide services to prevent and manage common NCDs and major communicable diseases.
The other component, AB- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna provides free and cashless care to about 500 million poor and deprived people for secondary and tertiary hospitalization care.
Japan is a steadfast champion of UHC, and a leader in financing the fight against malaria and other communicable diseases.