India calls for equitable access to pandemic tools for Global South at World Health Assembly

India has called for equitable access to pandemic tools for the Global South, following the formal adoption of the world’s first Pandemic Agreement at the 78th World Health Assembly.

Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on Wednesday reiterated India’s strong support for a legally binding framework that enhances global cooperation while respecting national sovereignty and domestic capacities.

“The Pandemic Agreement must ensure equitable access to medical countermeasures, timely and transparent data and pathogen sharing, and promote technology transfer and capacity-building, particularly for the Global South,” she said.

Underscoring India’s commitment to inclusive and universal health, Srivastava highlighted the transformative impact of flagship programmes such as Ayushman Bharat. “The programme has expanded access to comprehensive healthcare, improved infrastructure, provided financial protection for advanced treatments and accelerated digital health adoption — paving the way toward universal health coverage,” she stated.

She also informed the Assembly that India was recently certified as Trachoma-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to eliminating diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, measles, rubella and kala-azar.

Srivastava noted a significant policy step taken by India to extend health coverage under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to all citizens above 70 years of age, regardless of economic status. “We have also doubled the number of medical colleges from 387 to 780 in the past decade to train future healthcare professionals,” she added.