Context

Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today participated in the 32nd Commonwealth Health Ministers’ Meeting through Video conference, where he highlighted the timely, graded and pro-active measures taken by India towards COVID-19 management.

About

• The Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting (CHMM) is the annual meeting of health ministers from across the Commonwealth countries.
• The meeting reviews activity and events from the previous year and provides a platform for countries to bring issues of health relevance to the attention of their Commonwealth partners and peers.
• Each CHMM provides a ministerial statement summarising the discussion and priorities for the coming year including setting the theme for the next meeting.
• CHMM is held every year in Geneva in mid-May.
• CHMM is supported by the Commonwealth Advisory Council on Health (CACH) which meets twice a year.
  
  

The Commonwealth The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal countries. It is home to 2.4 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. In 1931, the British Commonwealth of Nations was founded under the Statute of Westminster with five initial members - the United Kingdom, Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, and the Union of South Africa. (Ireland permanently left the Commonwealthin 1949, Newfoundland became part of Canada in 1949, and South Africa left in 1961 due to apartheid but rejoined in 1994 as the Republic of South Africa). The Commonwealth had no constitution until it adopted its Charter in 2012, which commits members to 16 core values of democracy, gender equality, sustainable development and international peace and security. Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) are held every two years to discuss issues of common interest.

Highlights

• The meeting was due to take place in Geneva this month but was moved online in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
• The theme of the meeting, “Universal Health Coverage: Reaching the unreached, ensuring no one is left behind”, emphasised the importance of UHC as a means of securing a more sustainable future for Commonwealth citizens.
• This entailed the inclusion of women, young people, adolescents and other vulnerable populations, such as those with mental health challenges or disabilities, not only as recipients of health services, but also as sources of innovative solutions and equal partners in service delivery.
• Participating in the meeting the Union Health Minister expressed his deepest condolences and concern at the loss of lives due to COVID-19.
• He further added that the Health Ministry of India acknowledge the tremendous contribution of the numerous frontline health service providers as well as other civic bodies in saving precious lives.