New Delhi: India and Japan on Monday collectively decided to expand the areas of collaboration to digital health and the use of Artificial Intelligence in health, elderly care and non-communicable diseases. The decision was taken following a bilateral meeting with Japan on the sidelines of the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) session in Geneva.
The Indian delegation at the Geneva conference is led by Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra. Government sources said that both countries agreed to work on a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed in 2018 and hold a Joint Working Group soon.
“Apart from expanding the areas of collaboration to digital health, use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health, elderly care and non-communicable diseases, both sides also decided to strengthen the ongoing programme on training of nursing professionals in the Japanese language for opportunities in Japan,” the sources said.
It is worth mentioning that given synergies and complementarities between the two nations, the “India-Japan Digital Partnership” (IJDP) was launched during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Japan in October 2018 furthering existing areas of cooperation as well as new initiatives within the scope of cooperation in S&T/ICT, focusing more on “Digital ICT Technologies”.
Meanwhile, WHO has released a strategic framework for enhancing the prevention and control of Mpox (2024–2027), providing a roadmap for health authorities, communities and stakeholders worldwide to control Mpox outbreaks in every context, advance Mpox research and access to countermeasures and to minimise zoonotic transmission.
