2018 Partners' Forum opens on Universal Health Coverage Day in New Delhi, PM Modi commits US$ 100 billion for health services in India
GENEVA and NEW DELHI, Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- At the opening of the 2018 Partners' Forum in New Delhi today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged USD$ 100 billion to be invested into the improvement of health services until 2025. The commitment amounts to 2.5% of India's GDP, representing an actual increase in health spending by 345% over the current share, in just eight years.
The Partners' Forum is co-hosted by the Partnership of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) and the Government of India. The two-day event brings together 1200 participants from 85 countries in New Delhi, to measure progress in the implementation of programs for the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents.
India's involvement in the Forum reflects a long-standing relationship with PMNCH. The Government of India is currently the Partnership's acting Board Chair.
PM Modi said: "The world is one family. PMNCH is a unique organization, improving not only better health for women, children and adolescents, but also making an argument for faster growth." He continued to pledge for joint action: "I call on each of you – let us join hands as an expression of our commitment."
Helga Fogstad, Executive Director of PMNCH, commented on the announcement: "We welcome this generous pledge and acknowledge India's continued efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of women, children and adolescents. India and PMNCH have worked closely together over several years to improve the lives of vulnerable groups, and with this commitment we can look forward to more collaboration in the future as we work together to ensure no woman, child or adolescent is left behind."
Three years into the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Secretary General's Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (Every Woman Every Child), the Partners' Forum offers an opportunity to review progress and reflect on lessons learned. In plenaries and concurrent sessions participants will share insights and best practices on the value of partnerships to improve and transform lives, bringing to a global audience local projects that are scalable, impactful, innovative and sustainable.
UN Secretary General, António Guterres addressed the PMNCH partners in a video message: "You have done an amazing amount. Now it's time to build on what you have accomplished and generate concrete commitments and collective action across all ten constituencies of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health. For my part, as UN Secretary General, I will work to ensure that a vibrant and strong UN stands ready to support the achievement of your goals."
Specific objectives of the Forum include garnering greater political momentum to bring to fruition the Global Strategy; aiding better knowledge sharing to improve programme implementation; and improving cross-sectoral collaboration within and among health and the related sectors such as nutrition, environment, education, infrastructure and employment. Fogstad added: "We need to ensure that every child not only survives and thrives, but also transforms the health and human potential of all people in societies everywhere."
The Partners' Forum opened at the Universal Health Coverage Day, which is celebrated annually on December 12 and is promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a video message: "At least half of the world's population cannot access essential services. And women, children and adolescent are among the most vulnerable. 830 women still die every day in childbirth or from related complications. Every year, 5.6 million children die before their fifth birthday. Every year, 1.2 million adolescents die. These are not just numbers, they are people. UHC is a simple idea: that everyone should be able to access the health services they need, without suffering financial hardship."
About the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (The Partnership, PMNCH)
PMNCH is an alliance of more than 1000 organizations in 192 countries from the sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health communities, as well as health influencing sectors. The Partnership provides a platform for organizations to align objectives, strategies and resources, and agree on interventions to improve maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health. The Partnership represents ten constituencies: partner countries; donors and foundations; intergovernmental organizations; non-governmental organizations; academic, research and training institutions; adolescents and youth; healthcare professional associations; private sector partners, UN agencies, and global financing mechanisms.
For more information: http://www.who.int/pmnch/en/
For more information and photos: http://www.partnersforum2018.com/events/partners-forum-2018/custom-35-2adb4099c5df41ed966d7ae4125d4a8a.aspx
To follow 2018 Partners' Forum events online, logon to the Virtual Forum here.
For more information, please, contact
Andrea Gros, Communication Manager, PMNCH,
WHO, 20, Avenue Appia, CH – 1211 Geneva
[email protected]
Abhishek Shivam, Edelman India,
+91 9717196842 [email protected]
SOURCE Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health
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