G20 Health meet: Delegates pay close attention to exhibition showcasing Co-WIN, ICMR's mobile BSL-3 lab

Panaji: At the second G20 Health Working Group meeting, foreign delegates in particular have been paying close attention to an exhibition showcasing India’s digital health initiatives, including the ICMR’s mobile BSL-3 lab and the Covid vaccination portal Co-WIN, reported PTI.

A total of 18 booths showcasing India’s digital health initiatives and programmes have been put up on the sidelines of the second G20 health working group meeting, which got underway on Monday.

According to PTI, three areas of health have been prioritised by India’s G20 Presidency: strengthening pharmaceutical sector cooperation; prevention, preparedness, and response to health emergencies with a focus on one-health and antimicrobial resistance; and digital health innovations and solutions to support universal health coverage and enhance healthcare service delivery.

The ICMR’s mBSL-3, South Asia’s first mobile biosafety level three containment laboratory, has been catching a lot of attention.

Dr Rajnikant Srivastava, senior scientist at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) told PTI that the mobile laboratory was set up in February last year to investigate newly emerging and re-emerging viral infections that are highly infectious and potentially lethal for human beings.

He added, “The mobile lab has an intelligent control automation system and can be simply driven around to various locations, just like a normal bus.”

The ultra-portable hand-held digital medical X-ray from ICMR, which is used for a variety of diagnostic procedures, is also on display at the exhibition. The device, which was made in India just a month ago, weighs 1.8 kg as opposed to the 20 to 70 kg of the traditional portable X-ray.

Dr Rajnikant said, “This X-Ray system looks and weighs just like a normal SLR camera and can be carried even in hand.”

A portable cervical cancer screening device is also on display at the exhibition.

Several mobile applications, including a fever tracker, a malaria dashboard for real-time communicable disease surveillance, and a GDM app for streamlining hypertension and diabetes treatment, are also on display at the ICMR’s stall.

India’s COVID-19 vaccination programme and Co-WIN portal, which allowed for the delivery of more than 220 crore vaccine doses, are being highlighted at a booth that has been set up. The Co-WIN platform is now accessible to all countries as a “digital public good.” It is a scalable, open, and inclusive platform that benefits the entire public health infrastructure of the country, reported PTI.

Another stall has been set up to showcase the government’s Ni-kshay portal, which is a repository of TB patients that also digitally tracks their life cycle, including treatment.

One of the exhibition’s stalls featured the national teleconsultation service e-Sanjeevani.

Stalls have also been set up to showcase the government’s Ayushman Bharat services, including the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (National digitalization of health records and services), and AYUSH.

On April 19, the second Health Working Group meeting under India’s G20 presidency will come to an end. It is attended by over 180 delegates from 19 G20 member countries, 10 invited states, and 22 international organisations, according to PTI.

With inputs from agencies

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