Union minister Parshottam Rupala on Thursday stressed on the need for the health sector, including animal health, to reduce its contribution to climate change and strengthen surveillance of animal-linked diseases to prevent health emergencies.
Rupala was delivering the inaugural address at a side event of the second G20 Health Working Group meeting titled ‘Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change and Health: One Earth, One Family, One Future’, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement.
Rupala, the minister of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, said strengthening animal health and implementing a ‘One Health’ approach can help prevent and control zoonotic diseases that have a significant impact on animal welfare, economic productivity and human health.
The event was organised by the Asian Development Bank and the ministry with the aim of aligning the health sector’s development with the goals of the Paris Agreement and building climate-neutral and resilient health systems under the ‘One Health’ approach.
The ‘One Health’ approach recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.
In his address, Rupala emphasised on the importance of a ‘One Health’ approach that recognises the linkages among human, animal and environmental health.
He also reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message that all of humanity is part of the same cosmos despite their geographical boundaries.
India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant stressed on the interconnectedness of various challenges such as climate change, healthcare and poverty.
He highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how health and climate change are deeply intertwined with the Global South being more vulnerable due to a communicable disease burden and resource constraints, according to the statement.
Kant mentioned that India has made significant progress in the healthcare sector and become the world’s pharmacy with digital initiatives such as telemedicine and teleconsultations being sustainable solutions for a climate-resilient healthcare model.
“India’s digital initiatives like telemedicine and teleconsultations are sustainable solutions for a climate-resilient healthcare model,” he said.
