Health Secretary Leads National Urban Health Conclave on Strengthening Health Systems Resilience

Union Health Secretary, Shri Sudhansh Pant presided over the National Urban Health Conclave on "Developing a Joint Roadmap for Strengthening Health Systems Resilience", here today. Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs was also present.

Addressing the gathering, the Health Secretary highlighted the pressing need for strengthening the primary and secondary healthcare network at the urban level. Citing the significant impact of Urban Local Bodies (ULB) in Maharashtra and Gujarat in delivering high quality healthcare services to the respective states, he emphasized that “the state of the healthcare services will improve substantially with the involvement and participation of ULBs in delivering them and at the same time it will make the healthcare services more affordable and accessible to the urban dwellers.”

Commending the convergence of efforts between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Sudhansh Pant said “By working together, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and National /State teams can create a synergy which will lead to more sustainable, healthy and safe urban environment for urban population.” He further appealed to all the states and union territories to strive to close the gaps for better health care delivery. He encouraged deliberation and sharing of best practices for building stronger collaborations to strengthen our urban healthcare ecosystem.

Shri Manoj Joshi concurred that the healthcare services in the urban sphere must be sustainably strengthened to address the varying needs of the urban population as per their requirement. Commending the rural health and wellness centres, Shri Manoj said “alignment of healthcare services as per the requirements of the landscape is paramount.”

The conference was attended by Ms. L.S. Changsan, AS & MD, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Vishal Chauhan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Major General (Prof) Atul Kotwal, Executive Director, National Health Systems Resource Centre, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government Officials from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs from Central and State, Principal Secretaries, Mission Directors representing various states, Ms. Veena Reddy, Mission Director, USAID, Dr. Neeraj Jain, Country Director, PATH, and other dignitaries.