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India, under its presidency of the Quad, is hosting the "Quad Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness for the Indo-Pacific Region" from March 17-19, 2025.
The workshop is a key outcome of the 6th Quad Leaders' Summit held in September 2024 and aims to strengthen regional health security through collaboration on governance, surveillance, and emergency response mechanisms. Senior health officials, technical experts, and policymakers from Quad nations--India, the United States, Japan, and Australia--are participating in the event, along with over 25 delegates from 15 Indo-Pacific countries, including Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Mozambique, Palau, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, and Tuvalu. Representatives from international health organisations are also in attendance. Highlighting the significance of the initiative, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X: "The Quad- Continuing to serve as a force for good in the region. India is hosting the Quad Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness from 17-19 March 2025. The Workshop brings together Quad partners Australia, Japan and the US, & delegates from 15 countries of the Indo-Pacific to strengthen pandemic responses, enhance resilience, & implement the One Health approach for a safer, healthier Indo-Pacific." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1901571158396285137 Minister of State for Health, Anupriya Patel, inaugurated the workshop. The event also featured insights from Principal Scientific Advisor Ajay Kumar Sood, Secretary (Health) Punya Salila Srivastava, Additional Secretary, MOH&FW V. Hekali Zhimomi, and Additional Secretary (Americas), MEA Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur. The workshop serves as a platform for participating countries to share experiences in pandemic preparedness, with a focus on governance frameworks, surveillance strategies, and technological innovation in public health, an official press release by the MEA reported. Panel discussions will address critical areas such as strengthening global health frameworks, enhancing preparedness and resilience, ensuring coordinated pandemic responses, and implementing the One Health approach. Delegates will also discuss key aspects like risk communication, community engagement, disease surveillance, and capacity building. The workshop includes practical sessions where participants will engage in group exercises and simulations of pandemic scenarios, including Avian Influenza, Mpox, and Ebola. These exercises will help refine response strategies and improve cross-border coordination. Delegates will gain firsthand experience of India's public health infrastructure through field visits to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the National Centre for Vector-Borne Disease Control. These visits will provide insights into India's advanced surveillance systems and emergency response mechanisms, the press release stated. The Quad Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness marks a significant milestone in regional health collaboration, reinforcing efforts to build a more resilient and coordinated health security framework for the Indo-Pacific. (ANI)
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