The Global Fund’s first exclusive event in India focused on promoting their partnership with the Pharmaceutical Industry in India and the growing role India can take on the global stage.
The event was held on the 29th of August and witnessed 170+ participants including senior CXOs from pharmaceutical giants and senior participants from International Organisations like World Health Organisation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FIND etc. The summit was a forum to exchange ideas in the field of Achieving Equitable access to life-saving Medical Countermeasures, Enhancing Digitalisation in Health, and novel methods being employed in addressing Tuberculosis.
The event was graced by the Hon’ble G20 Sherpa, Shri Amitabh Kant and members of the senior leadership of Global Fund including their Chair Lady Roslyn Morauta, Head of Grant Management Mark Edington, and Head of Supply Operations Hui Yang. Some notable speakers were Shri C.K. Mishra, Former Secretary (Health) and Former Secretary (Environment) Government of India; Mubangazi Deusdedit, Head of the Prequalification Unit, WHO; Genessa Giorgi, Health Attache, Embassy of the United States of America in India; Mr. Rakesh Bamzai, President, Asia, Viatris; Dr. Vamsi Krishna, MD, Hetero Group; Mr Himanshu Nagpal, Deputy Director, Digital Health, BMGF; Alok Joshi, CEO, Pharmarack; Deepak Tuli, Eka Care; Gautham Ravichander, Director- Policy, eGov Foundation; Dr. Suvanand Sahu, Deputy Executive Director, Stop TB Partnership; Rakesh Lothe, General Manager, Serum Institute of India; Sriram Natarajan, Director & Ceo Molbio Diagnostics; Madhav Joshi, CEO, India Health Fund; Prashant Warrier, Co-Founder & CEO, qure.ai; among other distinguished speakers.
The day-long program comprised four curated sessions that included a mixture of panel discussions, presentations, and Q&A sessions. A special inaugural session was followed by three sessions focused on the following topics -
1. Innovation and Partnerships to Achieve Equitable Access to Life-Saving Medical Countermeasures
2. Catalysing Digital Transformations
3. The Tuberculosis Challenge: Addressing the Gaps in TB countermeasures.
Each session witnessed great enthusiasm from the attending audience who asked incisive questions and capitalised on this opportunity to interact with such luminaries.
the Global Fund Summit featured noteworthy highlights from the speakers, emphasizing the pivotal role of collaboration and innovation in the realm of global health. The summit included a celebration of pharmaceutical and digital health advancements in India and recognizing their significance. India's leadership during its G20 presidency was appreciated, particularly in the context of challenging negotiations. A substantial financial commitment of $600 million in India underscored the Global Fund's dedication to preventing injurious diseases. Additionally, the importance of transferring India's homegrown solutions to the world was highlighted, emphasizing India's global health contributions.
Overall, the discussion underscored the significance of global partnerships, innovation, and coordinated efforts in addressing pressing healthcare challenges and advancing a healthier world.
Driven by the hon'ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s transformative policies, the Sherpa focused on India’s role on the global stage, especially during the G20 presidency. He spoke about the promising role and imposing responsibility that India has as the ‘Voice of the Global South’ and the efforts that India is taking to institute transformative policies within the country and around the world.
A networking dinner was hosted by Primus Partners for Global Fund officials, leading entrepreneurs and executives from the pharmaceutical sector, multilateral, and donor agencies. The dinner provided an informal environment where deeper discussions and future steps could be pondered and establish relationships that could be leveraged for future growth and development.
