C20 Summit on Integrated Holistic Health held at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad

Faridabad: The Integrated Holistic Health Summit of Civil 20 (C20), one of the official Engagement Groups of the G20, was held recently at the Amrita Hospital, Faridabad.

The event was inaugurated by Manohar Lal, Chief Minister of Haryana.

Addressing the audiences, Chief Minister said: “Health is a basic necessity of life that leads contentment among people, contributing to the overall Happiness Index. We need to develop and adopt traditional systems of health so that we do not fall ill at all. While Government budgets are high for treatment of disease, there is not enough attention on staying healthy by prevention of disease. We in Haryana have started focusing on both physical and mental health of people. We have made a program to open wellness centers, including Yoga and Ayurveda, in each village. Work on 700 such centers has already begun. Due to the use of chemicals, pesticides and pollution, food, and environment are now leading to disease. We need to turn them into medicine again by reverting to traditional systems.”

Manohar Lal said: “Haryana should have 28,0000 doctors, according to WHO norms, but currently has less than half that number. We intend to open a medical college in every district of the state to increase this count. Work has already started on opening medical colleges in every district of Haryana, except four. We have also applied for permission to start an integrated course of Allopathy and Ayurveda. Both practices should work together.”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization, addressed the delegates virtually. Former Health Ministers from countries such as Argentina, Rwanda, and Malawi, were also present at the Summit, along with Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, Vice Chairman, Mata Amritanandamayi Math and Troika Member C20, as well as Vijay K. Nambiar, C20 Sherpa.

Said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization: “We are halfway to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There are many challenges ahead to reach the SDG health targets. Even before Covid 19, billions of people missed every year on essential health services either because they couldn’t access them or afford them. The Pandemic has set us further back. We saw 90% of countries reporting disruptions in essential health services. Covid 19 has shown why universal health coverage is so important and why we must pursue it with even more determination, innovation and collaboration. That is why one of the WHO’s top priorities is to reorient health systems towards primary healthcare and foundation of universal health coverage and health security. Integrating evidence-based traditional medicine into national health systems can contribute to achieving health for all.”

Said Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, Vice Chairman, Mata Amritanandamayi Math and Troika Member C20: “Doctors should find time to do meditation to tap into their intuitive mind and spiritual energies, much like our ancient Ayurvedic physicians and seers. To spread goodness and health, they need to mix medication with meditation, as that would lead to a qualitative shift in both the doctor and the patient. If the Group of 20 countries became ambassadors of Goodness (Goodness 20), that will tremendously benefit the developing and underdeveloped countries. It will help goodness to prevail in a hurting world, and all will be good.”

The dignitaries also released two new platforms at the event, named Digital Shiksha for Advanced Clinical Capacity Learning (DiShA) and We Are with You. DiShA is India’s first case-based simulation learning platform for critical care in public health created by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham through USAID funding. “We are With You” is a public portal that provides informative content such as videos, articles, testimonials, contact details for public and private mental health organizations, helpline numbers, discussion forums, and blogs in English and major regional languages, aimed at connecting people with the mental healthcare they need.

During the two days of the Summit, delegates from more than 700 CSOs, health professionals, educators, and leaders from across the public health landscape participated in discussions and workshops that will directly impact the policy recommendations that will be launched at the C20 Summit in July 2023. The sessions would focus on seven key areas of public health including mental health, nutrition, women’s and children’s health, elderly care, holistic health approaches, One Health, and the reduction of non-communicable diseases.

Dignitaries present during the inaugural ceremony included Krishan Pal Gurjar, Union Minister of State for Power and Heavy Industries; Ranjit Singh, Haryana’s Minister for Energy; Rajesh Nagar, MLA, Tigaon, Faridabad and Dr. Manoj Nesari, Advisor, Ministry of AYUSH.