Eyeing stronger relationship, India, UK launch health care alliance

New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): United Kingdom’s top National Health Service (NHS) delegation visited India on Friday to launch the India-UK healthcare alliance. The initiative is aimed at promoting excellence in the healthcare sector, providing a platform for healthcare institutions in two countries and creating synergetic partnerships aimed at improving health outcomes.

A high-powered delegation from the UK’s Health, Education, research and clinical practice sectors, including Prof Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS England, Prof Simon Gregory MBE, Medical Director for Primary Care, Workforce Training and Education Directorate NHS England, Prof Geeta Menon, Postgraduate Dean, Workforce Training and Education Directorate NHS England and Prof Parag Singhal, Chief Executive of BAPIO Training Academy, were part of the launch here.

The Alliance is an initiative of Bapio Training Academy.

Speaking to ANI, Chandru Iyer, British Deputy High Commissioner to Karnataka and Kerala who is also the Deputy Trade commissioner for South Asia responsible for investments, said, “This is a wonderful initiative which brings the two countries together and collaborates together in promoting excellence in the field of healthcare and healthcare skilled resources” and that it is “just a continuation of some great initiatives around India – UK corridor.”

Professor Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS, England, said he believed that both countries face many challenges in healthcare and they have many opportunities too.

“India and UK worked closely together for the development of vaccines during the Covid pandemic. Going forward, there will be a lot of opportunities not just in drugs but in many technologies that are being developed including digital healthcare and artificial intelligence,” Powis told ANI.

According to Dr Sanjay Jaiswal, Member of Parliament and the Chair of the Alliance, the proposal shall strategize its actions in the domains like promoting excellence in education, research, training and capacity building of Human Resources in the healthcare sector in both countries, identifying healthcare providers in India to promote medical tourism, share learning around low-cost innovative models of care to promote healthcare sustainability and promoting the culture of patient safety and clinical governance across Indian health systems through policy, advocacy and projects.

The 2030 Roadmap for India-UK future relations was launched on May 4, 2021, at a virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then UK PM Boris Johnson. The roadmap set out the jointly held vision for a reinvigorated and stronger relationship between the UK and India over the next ten years.

“As a Global Force for Good in health, the UK and India will use our combined research and innovation strength to address the biggest global health challenges, save lives and improve health and well-being,” the 2030 roadmap stated.

“We will expand the breadth and depth of the India-UK Health Partnership to enhance global health security and pandemic resilience, show leadership on Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), promote healthy societies and strengthen both our health systems through increased collaboration on clinical education, health worker mobility and digital health,” it added.