Health Takes Center Stage as Philippine President Meets Nadda
The meeting took place on the sidelines of President Marcos Jr.'s five-day state visit to India. Calling the trip “one of the most productive and constructive” visits he has ever had, Marcos Jr. praised the “enduring closeness” between the two nations.
Union Health Minister and BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda met with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. in New Delhi as part of the BJP's international outreach initiative, Know BJP.
Sharing details of the meeting, Nadda posted on X, “We also had a detailed discussion on how to enhance cooperation in the healthcare sector. Looking forward to continued cooperation and mutual progress.”
The meeting took place on the sidelines of President Marcos Jr.'s five-day state visit to India. Calling the trip “one of the most productive and constructive” visits he has ever had, Marcos Jr. praised the “enduring closeness” between the two nations.
“It has been one of my most productive and constructive visits that I have ever had, and I attribute this to the enduring closeness between the Philippines and India,” the President said at a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The healthcare discussion between Nadda and Marcos Jr. also included inputs from Philippines Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, who was present at the meeting. Herbosa highlighted India’s expansive healthcare system, including its maternal care coverage and screening programmes for cancer and hypertension.
He noted India’s use of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), which he compared to the Philippines' barangay health workers. “It’s a model we can look at. They also have a good telemedicine system,” he said.
Herbosa handed Nadda a copy of the signed memorandum of understanding between India’s National Institute of Ayurveda and the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care. “He [Nadda] said, ‘Let’s prioritise this, and we will help you,’” Herbosa added.
The conversation also touched on the growing number of Indian medical students in the Philippines and India’s interest in the country’s liver transplant expertise.
“I’m very happy that we now have a Strategic Partnership with India. They are global leaders in healthcare,” said Herbosa. “Just as the Philippines is known for its nurses, India is known for its doctors.”
Marcos Jr. was accompanied by First Lady Louise Araneta Marcos and a high-level delegation, including several Cabinet ministers. This was the first official visit to India by a Philippine President since Marcos Jr. assumed office in 2022.
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