New Delhi: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, in a meeting with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, said that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the government of India are working with the private sector to come up with a cost-effective therapy for sickle cell anaemia for the whole world.
“India has a sizeable disease burden; it is an even bigger challenge in Africa. Currently, the costs of available therapies are unaffordable–even for high-income countries like the US–and it might be an area for partnership between the foundation and the Government of India, working with the Indian private sector to come up with a cost-effective therapy for sickle cell anaemia for the whole world,” Bill Gates said.
He further said, “The foundation has been privileged to have a strong partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, working on a range of health priorities, including maternal and child health, anaemia, infectious diseases, including vaccine-preventable diseases, digital health and other areas.”
Bill Gates also appreciated India as a global innovator, contributing valuable solutions to global health problems.
“India has long been a global innovator, contributing valuable solutions to global health problems, starting with the role of India’s vaccine sector in providing high-quality and cost-effective vaccines for a variety of conditions that are helping save millions of lives across the world,” he said.
India offered support to more than 150 countries in the form of providing COVID-19 vaccines, Bill Bates said.
“India was also a very big source of COVID vaccines for the world, and the foundation also partnered with Indian companies in this effort,” Bill Gates said.
“During India’s G20, the Government of India shared with the world all the digital innovations that India has pioneered, including in digital health, and the Global Initiative for Digital Health is well set up to share India’s lessons with other countries,” he added.
“It was great to see the innovative thought that has gone into the Bhishm Cube, which brings together a range of important health solutions in a convenient form factor that lends itself to use in different settings across the world. Our foundation is interested in applications of this approach to helping solve critical problems related to maternal and child health and this solution could be important not just for India but also for the world,” he said on the BHISHM Argoya Maitri Cube.
He further mentioned the potential of Indian companies in diagnostics. “I am convinced Indian innovation will play an even bigger role in helping solve global health issues in the future. I met with some innovative companies in the field of diagnostics earlier on my trip and I think there is a lot of potential for Indian solutions to be a game-changer for important public health priorities, especially TB. A low-cost, reliable TB diagnostic would be essential for India to reach its TB control and elimination goals.”
“Another area that is a priority for the Government of India and the Gates Foundation is maternal anaemia. The government has scaled up its efforts to address anaemia, and we believe there are impact solutions, such as injectable iron, that can help address anaemia for pregnant women. There are other solutions too and Indian innovation will be key to driving affordable products that can benefit the world,” he said.
“It has been very impressive to see India’s progress on many key health indicators, like reductions in maternal and child mortality, high immunization coverage and the elimination focus on various diseases. India is now on the verge of eliminating kala azar (visceral leishmaniasis) and is ramping up efforts for lymphatic filariasis and tuberculosis as well,” he added.
