World Health Assembly to convene on Monday
The WHA78 in Geneva (May 19-27) focuses on global health challenges, with India participating in key discussions on universal health coverage and traditional medicine.
The 78th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA78) is being held from May 19-27 in Geneva, Switzerland. According to people familiar with the matter, Union health secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava, will lead the Indian delegation at the Health Assembly, which will bring together high-level country representatives and other stakeholders to address global health challenges.
The discussions are expected to encompass several crucial issues pertaining to global health including universal health coverage, climate change and health, mental health challenges, prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and the elimination of tuberculosis, among other challenges, according to people familiar with the matter.
The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO). This year’s theme is “One World for Health”.
The review of the progress made in the past two years in the field of global health is also on top of the agenda that the member states will discuss, they said.
India is a part of ‘Strengthening the Continuum of Care to Achieve Universal Health Coverage’ and ‘Traditional Medicine: From Traditional Heritage to Frontier Science, for Health For All’, among other side-events.
The explanatory document on the Assembly agenda said that achieving Universal Health Coverage(UHC) is critical to ensuring equitable access to essential health services for all individuals, irrespective of their socio-economic status. The continuum of care, which emphasises seamless, integrated, and person-centered health services across the course of life, is a fundamental strategy in realising the vision of UHC.
“This side event aims to highlight the importance of a seamless continuum of care, share country experiences and best practices, present successful models of strengthening healthcare systems, leverage digital health for improved healthcare service delivery, address key health system challenges, and drive actionable commitments for UHC progress,” it read.
The document further adds that for the evolution of Traditional Medicine within global health, 2025 marks a pivotal milestone, commemorating 50 years since the WHO first launched its traditional medicine programme.
“Anchoring this milestone is the draft Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025-34, to be considered at WHA78. The event would serve as a platform to seek strategic convergence, positioning Traditional Medicine not only as a cultural resource but as a forward-looking, evidence-informed pillar of global health, supporting the health and wellbeing of people and planet,” it added.
The World Health Organisation said that discussions will be forward looking, to focus on prioritisation of activities as well as looking at the future with the approval of the first full Programme Budget 2026-2027 under WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW14), WHO’s strategy for global health for 2025 - 2028.
The Assembly will also consider the proposal by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to adopt the WHO Pandemic Agreement. This year’s Assembly contains close to 75 Items and sub-items.
“This year’s theme underscores WHO’s enduring commitment to solidarity and equity, highlighting that even in unprecedented times, everyone, everywhere should have an equal chance to live a healthy life,” said WHO in a statement.
