Rohit Shishodia
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has urged members of World Health Organization to forge multi-sectoral collaboration to mobilize and galvanize a global response, support and cooperation to fight communicable and non-communicable diseases more effectively.

Chairing the session of the Bureau of The Executive Board of WHO through video conference in which WHO director Dr Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus was present, Dr Vardhan stressed that there is a need to explore innovative ways to address new threats and challenges in the post pandemic phase.

He further emphasized the mutual need to come together to be more responsive in terms of managing the new challenges being faced so as to ensure a timely, adequate & coordinated global response.

Recollecting the global crisis Covid 19 has unleashed, he said; “It is about four months ago that the WHO declared the Covid as pandemic. About 17 million people have been infected by Covid-19 and more than 662 thousand precious lives have been lost world wide due to this pandemic. The magnitude of the damages caused to the world economy is also immense.”

Dr Vardhan pointed out that the world has now realised the importance of health and the need for greater cooperation amongst countries to tackle the risks and dangers being posed by innumerable communicable and non-communicable diseases.

“In the era of globalisation, when the world is a large home to all humanity, the risk and challenge to spread of a disease is even bigger since it does not distinguish between boundaries of countries,” he added.