Reaffirms India’s strong commitment towards advancing the global agenda for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health

Jagat Prakash Nadda held a bilateral meeting with Ms. Helen Clark, Board Chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), on the sidelines of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva yesterday.

During the meeting, the Union Health Minister reaffirmed India’s strong commitment towards advancing the global agenda for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health. Highlighting India’s longstanding association with PMNCH since its inception in 2005, the Minister stated that India remains proud to continue its partnership with the organization and contribute meaningfully to its objectives.

The Minister underlined India’s active leadership role in PMNCH as Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of the Standing Committee. He also informed that India’s annual grant contribution of USD 2 million in perpetuity is currently under process and would be shared soon.

Emphasizing India’s achievements in public health, Shri Nadda stated that “India has been the bed of innovation and delivering interventions at scale with equity and accessibility. We have kept the health of women, children and adolescents at the heart of our service delivery and sustainable development.”

The Union Health Minister highlighted that “India was among the first countries to launch a dedicated national programme for adolescents in 2014”, reaching young people through facility-based, school-based and community-based interventions across the country.