India will strengthen global health efforts: PM Modi to WHO chief ‘Tulsi Bhai’

New Delhi, Nov 20: India will work towards efforts to boost global health, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday while pledging his support to World Health Organisation chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who he addresses as ‘Tulsi Bhai’. He said this in response to Ghebreyesus’ post on X, thanking PM Modi and others for their support and contributions during the first-ever WHO Investment Round held in Brazil.

The Prime Minister said that India is actively working in the health sector by integrating technology. “Dear Tulsi Bhai, A healthy planet is a better planet. India is working actively in this sector,” PM Modi said in the post on X. “We are attaching great priority to integrating technology too. At the same time, we will strengthen global efforts in this regard,” he added.

The WHO organised its first-ever Investment Round to raise funds for its strategy for global health during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro. The event, attended by world leaders along with Prime Minister Modi, “raised $ 1.7 billion”. At the Summit, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to building a fair world and a sustainable planet. They pledged to prioritise the fight against inequalities in all their dimensions.

Their declaration reaffirmed the WHO's central role in global health governance, emphasising the need for stable and transparent financing. They also backed the WHO Investment Round as a means to secure additional funding for the organisation's activities. “Investment in @WHO is an investment in global health security,” the WHO chief posted on X.

The global health body noted that it "has $ 3.8 billion toward its $ 7.1 billion goal”. This also marks “a 53 per cent funding for the 14th General Programme of Work P set to save 40 million additional lives over the next 4 years”, the UN agency said.