In a May 20, 2025 address to the 78th Session of the World Health Assembly, the Prime Minister of India outlined India's vision for global health, emphasizing inclusion, integrated vision, and collaboration under the theme "One World for Health." Key initiatives highlighted included the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, extended to cover all Indians over 70, and a network of health and wellness centers focused on disease screening. The Prime Minister also emphasized the role of technology, citing a digital platform for tracking vaccinations, unique digital health identities, and a telemedicine service that has facilitated over 340 million consultations. He noted a decrease in out-of-pocket health expenditure and an increase in government health expenditure. India expressed its willingness to share its health models and best practices, particularly with the Global South. The Prime Minister also promoted the upcoming 11th International Day of Yoga and congratulated the WHO and member states on the successful negotiations of the INB treaty for pandemic preparedness.
Key Entities Referenced
Prime Minister's Office: The office of the Prime Minister, responsible for the address.
PMs: Abbreviation for Prime Minister, referring to the speaker.
78th Session of the World Health Assembly: The specific session of the World Health Assembly at which the address was given.
20 MAY 2025: The date the address was posted.
PIB Delhi: Press Information Bureau, Delhi - the source of the posted address.
World Health Assembly: An assembly related to global health, the context of the address.
One World for Health: The theme of the World Health Assembly in 2025.
India: The country that the speaker represents.
One Earth, One Health: A concept previously addressed in 2023, related to global health.
India: The country initiating health reforms.
Ayushman Bharat: India's health insurance scheme.
Indians: The population that Ayushman Bharat will be extended to cover individuals above 70 years old.
Global South: A region particularly impacted by health challenges that India is willing to share best practices with.
11th International Day of Yoga: An upcoming event in June promoting Yoga.
Yoga: A practice originating from India.
WHO: World Health Organization.
INB treaty: A treaty related to fighting future pandemics.
Vedas: Ancient religious texts from which a prayer for health and happiness is quoted.
Prime Minister's Office
Text of PM’s address at the 78th Session of the
World Health Assembly
Posted On: 20 MAY 2025 4:38PM by PIB Delhi
Excellencies and Delegates,Namaste. Warm greetings to everyone at the 78th Session of the World Health
Assembly.
Friends,
The theme of the World Health Assembly this year is ‘One World for Health’. It resonates with India’s vision
for global health. When I addressed this gathering in 2023, I had spoken about ‘One Earth, One Health’. The
future of a healthy world depends on inclusion, integrated vision and collaboration.
Friends,
Inclusion is at the core of India’s health reforms. We run Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health
insurance scheme. It covers 580 million people and provides free treatment. This programme was recently
extended to cover all Indians above the age of 70 years. We have a network of thousands of health and
wellness centres. They screen and detect diseases such as cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Thousands of
public pharmacies provide high-quality medicines at far less than the market price.
Friends,
Technology is an important catalyst to improve health outcomes. We have a digital platform to track
vaccination of pregnant women and children. Millions of people have a unique digital health identity. It is
helping us integrate benefits, insurance, records and information. With telemedicine, nobody is too far from a
doctor. Our free telemedicine service has enabled over 340 million consultations.
Friends,
Due to our initiatives, there has been a heartening development. The Out-of-Pocket Expenditure as percentage
of Total Health Expenditure has fallen significantly. At the same time, Government Health Expenditure has
gone up considerably.
Friends,
The health of the world depends on how well we care for the most vulnerable. The Global South is
particularly impacted by health challenges. India’s approach offers replicable, scalable and sustainable
models. We would be happy to share our learnings and best practices with the world, especially the Global
South.
Friends,
In June, the 11th International Day of Yoga is coming up. This year, the theme is ‘Yoga for One Earth, One
Health’. Being from the nation which gave Yoga to the world, I invite all countries to participate.
Friends,
I congratulate the WHO and all member states on the successful negotiations of the INB treaty. It is a shared
commitment to fight future pandemics with greater cooperation. While building a healthy planet, let us ensure
that no one is left behind. Let me close with a timeless prayer from the Vedas. Thousands of years ago,
our sages prayed that everyone should be healthy, happy and free from disease. May this vision unite the
world.Thank You!
***
MJPS/VJ
(Release ID: 2129904)