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Finance says no to Health’s request for a US$10 million fund to fulfill the G20 promise | India News
The Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) was launched as a “key product” of the Indian G20 Presidency during the Health Ministers’ meeting in Gujarat on 19 August last year, in the run-up to the 9-10 August summit. September in New Delhi. It became part of the New Delhi declaration and India promised to make a contribution of 10 million dollars as an initial fund. GIDH formally began on February 20, 2024, with the then Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya participating in the virtual launch event. But India is yet to make its $10 million contribution.
Reason: the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) of the Ministry of Finance did not approve the contribution that India had promised as part of its “unwavering support”.
GIDH is a network of organizations, institutions and technical government agencies managed by the World Health Organization (WHO) committed to supporting national digital health transformation. In the Delhi Declaration, G20 leaders welcomed the creation of the GIDH “as part of a WHO-managed framework to build a comprehensive digital health ecosystem in compliance with respective data protection regulations”.
While a Ministry of Health spokesperson did not respond to questions on the matter, a ministry source, when asked about the status of the proposal, said it is “under consideration at this time.” An email to the DEA received no response.
It is learned that the Ministry of Health approached the DEA as early as December 16, 2022 – two weeks after India assumed the presidency of the G-20 – to seek the latter’s approval to contribute $10 million to the GIDH. However, seven months later, on July 21, 2023, a DEA official responded to the Ministry of Health: “DEA does not support the proposal to contribute 10 million dollars to this initiative.”
Although the DEA note did not specify any reason for not supporting the proposal, one source said the DEA’s argument was that this funding should not create “compromised liability.” Instead of India making financial contributions, he argued, it should consider other options, such as technical support to the GIDH.
Explained
What is the GDIH
It is a network of agencies managed by the WHO and its objectives include: assessing and prioritizing needs for a sustainable digital health transformation; combine digital health resources and unfunded priorities.
It is learned that the matter was later flagged by the Permanent Mission of India (PMI) to the UN. In November 2023, the PMI recommended that the government make a contribution with a “substantial financial commitment” towards the establishment of the GIDH, sources said.
Given the fact that the entire Global South and the West, including the African Union and Latin American nations, consider India as the “torchbearer” in digital health, the question of contributing $10 million to the GIDH has been “reconsidered” at the Ministry of Health with the approval of the Minister of Health, a source said.
The source highlighted that, in contrast, Indonesia contributed US$50 million as the initiator of the proposal to establish the Presidency Prevention and Preparedness (PPR) Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) under its Presidency. The fund was launched and projected as an achievement under the Indonesian Presidency. India took over the G20 presidency from Indonesia. Now, Brazil leads the presidency of the G20. Under the Brazilian presidency of the G20, the GIDH is one of the priorities of the health sector, the sources said.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 20/06/2024 04:11 IST