We can no longer work in silos, have to create global synergies like never before: Harshvardhan
Dec 02, 2020
New Delhi [India], December 2 : Speaking on COVID-19 at the inaugural session of the annual conference of the India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre - 'health talks,' Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harshvardhan on Wednesday said that the countries can no longer work in silos and have to create global synergies like never before.
"No conversation on healthcare today is complete without underlining the massive challenge that the planet has faced in the last ten months on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, each challenge also has a silver lining to it. The global pandemic has taught us that our shared challenges also require shared responsibilities. Collaborations and synergies have become the order of the day. We can no longer work in silos. We have to create global synergies like never before," he said.
Stressing on cooperation between India and Sweden, Harshvardhan noted that the inclusion of policy makers, academia and industry will play a key role in innovation.
"Looking forward to hear about the strategic plans emerging from the Joint Working Group set-up under the MoU which is going to meet next week, to further increase health cooperation between the two countries," he said.
Applauding the positive outcomes resulting from the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), he said, "The India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre is also in the process of setting up a Centre of Excellence at AIIMS Jodhpur on Cancer Care. This will help patients to better understand and manage their disease, the treatment plan and the prognosis. It will also help them to manage complex medication regimes, ensure treatment compliance and minimise complications resulting in improving quality of life for patients and caregivers."
Vardhan was also invited to witness the announcement of the winners of the first Innovation Challenge of the Centre; as many as 8 problem statements across therapy areas including NCDs and COVID-19 were identified and startups across India and Sweden were invited to apply.
The challenge warranted the inclusion of Digital Tools, Med-Tech, Tele-Medicine, and Artificial Intelligence backed solutions which would improve the efficiency of healthcare systems. The Innovation Challenge received an overwhelming response of 468 applications which then went through a rigorous evaluation process for identification of 14 winners.
Congratulating the winners, Vardhan said, "In India, we have a lot of Innovation, the challenge is to scale these ideas, and we support the vision of the Centre towards supporting the scale up within and outside India."
