The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare has recently digitally addressed the Inter-Ministerial Conference by Partners in Population and Development (PPD). Throughout this article, we’ll delve into details on PPD, the objectives and outcomes of the conference, and India’s role and contributions.
Understanding Partners in Population and Development
Initiated as an intergovernmental effort, Partners in Population and Development (PPD) focuses on fortifying South-South Cooperation across reproductive health, population, and development domains. Its launch took place in 1994 during the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), where ten developing countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America formed this intergovernmental alliance to aid the implementation of the Cairo Program of Action (POA). The POA urged the establishment of mechanisms fostering development through shared experiences in reproductive health and family planning among member nations. This alliance currently includes 27 developing countries, with India being a member too. The secretariat resides in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Inter-Ministerial Conference by PPD
Organised collaboratively by PPD, National Health Commission of China and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Inter-Ministerial Conference aimed to advocate and gather political support along with investments to combat the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic on achieving the Three Zeros by 2030, as per the Nairobi Summit 2019 declarations. It was noted that India acknowledged PPD’s efforts in fostering cooperation across vital areas of reproductive health, population, and development.
The Nairobi Summit and the Vision of Three Zeros by 2030
In November 2019, the Nairobi Summit, also recognized as ICPD+25, observed the 25th anniversary of the ICPD. Governments, UN agencies, private sector companies, women’s groups, and youth networks congregated at this summit, co-hosted by the UNFPA and the Government of Kenya. During the Nairobi Summit, commitments were made to achieve zero preventable maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices by 2030.
India’s Contribution and Strategic Steps
India has been unwavering in its reaffirmation of the Nairobi Summit’s commitments. It is devoted to ensuring universal health coverage through Ayushman Bharat, a flagship program. The Indian government has pledged USD 3 billion by 2020 to enhance reproductive health services. As part of its universal health care aspiration, India’s National Health Policy 2017 aims to augment public health expenditure to 2.5% of the GDP. There’s also an ongoing effort to decrease the unmet need for contraception by diversifying contraceptives and enhancing the access and quality of family planning services.
In the pursuit of achieving Sustainable Development Goal target, the Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) initiative focusses on reducing Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to less than 70 by 2030. India is also enacting stringent legislation against gender-based violence and atrocities against women and girls. It is committed to providing timely, quality, and disaggregated data, investing in digital health innovations, and improvement of data systems by 2030 to achieve sustainable development. The National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) is engaged in building the necessary infrastructure for integrated digital health.
India’s Covid-19 Response
India took proactive steps before WHO declared Covid-19 as a pandemic. It includes community-based interventions, inclusive of family planning amongst other services. Promotion of alternate service delivery mechanisms along with telemedicine services, digital platforms for training, improving finances, and streamlining supply chain systems have also been implemented.
The Way Forward
The current scenario necessitates integrated and coordinated efforts from all health institutions, academia, and partners directly or indirectly linked with health care services. PPD plays a significant role in facilitating pertinent dialogue at the highest levels to progress the common agenda of ‘Health for All’.
