Need mutual recognition of covid vaccines: Mansukh Mandaviya

The Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said mutual acceptance of Covid-19 vaccines, digital health systems with data interoperability, and expanding global south research and production skills are needed to eliminate inequities. He spoke digitally at the G20 health ministers' Yogyakarta meeting. He praised the Indonesian presidency for prioritising TB issues (which India aims to end by 2025, five years ahead of the global sustainable development target).

He emphasised the need for global cooperation, saying "worldwide healthcare resilience should be created by functioning toward mutual cooperation of vaccine qualifications to aid seamless cross-border journey" and by expanding research networks, m-RNA manufacturing hubs, and distributed manufacturing of medical countermeasures with a focus on the global south. He stated, "seamless data interchange and construction of longitudinal electronic health records in a country and globally is vital."

In a speech on global collaboration, he urged G20 countries build an institutional structure to allow speedy sharing of Covid-19 and other pathogen genome sequencing data. This comes as India plans to help its neighbours set up or upgrade genome sequencing labs for Covid-19.