C20 Summit on Integrated Holistic Health to be Held at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, on April 8-9, 2023

FARIDABAD / April 3, 2023: The Integrated Holistic Health Summit of Civil 20 (C20), one of the official Engagement Groups of the G20, is going to be held at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, on April 8-9, 2023.

Several key dignitaries would be present during the inaugural ceremony on April 8, 2023. These include Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India; Shri Manohar Lal, Chief Minister of Haryana; Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH; Shri Anil Vij, Haryana’s Minister for Home, Health and Medical Education & Research; Shri Ranjit Singh, Haryana’s Minister for Energy; Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Union Minister of State for Power and Heavy Industries; and Shri Rajesh Nagar, MLA, Tigaon, Faridabad.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization, will address the delegates virtually. Former Health Ministers from countries such as Argentina, Rwanda, and Malawi, will also be present at the Summit. World-renowned spiritual leader and humanitarian Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma) is the Chair of C20.

During the inaugural ceremony, the dignitaries will also release two new platforms, named Digital Shiksha for Advanced Clinical Capacity Learning (DiShA) and We Are with You. DiShA is India’s first case-based simulation learning platform for critical care in public health created by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham through USAID funding. “We are With You” is a public portal that provides informative content such as videos, articles, testimonials, contact details for public and private mental health organizations, helpline numbers, discussion forums, and blogs in English and major regional languages, aimed at connecting people with the mental healthcare they need.

Across two days of the Summit, delegates from more than 700 CSOs, health professionals, educators, and leaders from across the public health landscape would participate in policy meetings, discussions, and workshops to formulate policies that support global health and well-being. The sessions would focus on seven key areas of public health including mental health, nutrition, women’s and children’s health, elderly care, holistic health approaches, One Health, and the reduction of non-communicable diseases.

The delegates would also be given a walkthrough of the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) at Delhi. The purpose is to showcase how a tertiary care center is combining principles of traditional forms of medicine with the technological advancements of modern medicine to provide holistic healthcare.

Coordinator of C20 Working Group on Integrated Holistic Health, Dr. Priya Nair of Amrita Hospital, said: “Global health is a critical focus area of C20. The Covid pandemic highlighted the limitations of the existing healthcare systems worldwide. To address these gaps and inequities, it is important to take a holistic approach to health, including its physical, emotional, environmental, and social dimensions. We need to find solutions for better access to healthcare, especially in lower and middle-income countries, and enable people to lead a healthy lifestyle. Traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda can play a significant role in making holistic health an integral part of the global healthcare system.”

She added: “The preliminary discussions held during the online policy events of the Working Group on Integrated Holistic Health will be continued in Faridabad, as the participants finalize the list of solutions, along with the examples of best practice (Udaaharans) as proof of concept. These discussions will prove vital to drafting a well-rounded policy pack and will directly impact the policy recommendations that will be launched at the C20 Summit in July 2023.”

Organizations participating in the Summit include well-known names like Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Mariwala Health Initiative, PanAfricare, Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance, Clinton Health Access Initiative, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Stop TB Partnership, HelpAge India, Heritage Foundation, Jiva Ayurveda, and so on.

The G20 (Group of 20) is a forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union. It works to address major issues related to the global economy. C20 provides a platform for Civil Society Organizations (CSO) around the world to voice people’s aspirations to the world leaders in G20.

More information about the IHH Summit is available at https://c20.amma.org/integrated-holistic-health-summit-faridabad/