Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that India will contribute USD 2, 00,000 for the WHO South-East Asia regions health emergency fund which is meant for rapid response towards both natural disasters and human-generated hazards. He had made the announcement at a ministerial round-table on Emergency Preparedness at the 72nd Session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee of South-East Asia.

Health ministers of WHOs South-East Asia Region has also signed the Delhi Declaration on Emergency Preparedness at the event. Vardhan said that he is very happy to announce that India will contribute USD 2, 00,000 towards implementation of the preparation stream under the South East Asia Health Emergency Response Fund (SEARHEF), and will release this support at the earliest.

Vardhan, WHO Chef de Cabinet Bernhard Schwartlander, and Bhutans Minister of Health Dechen Wangmo cycled to the venue of the meet to focus on strengthening primitive and preventive health so that people would adopt healthy lifestyle. Also, Vardhan led a yoga session at the venue which was attended by delegates and health ministers from eight of the 11 SEARO countries. They too went for cycling after the yoga session.

Vardhan said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a call at the United Nations General Assembly to recognize yoga as a provider of holistic approach to health and well-being, the UNGA has adopted a resolution to observe June 21 as International Day of Yoga.

He said that along with Eat Right India campaign, this will help everyone effectively fight lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes, adding the prime minister has recently launched the Fit India Movement and also urged all people to make fitness a part of their day-to-day routine.

Vardhan said accurate weather prediction, effective early warnings, sturdy preparedness for timely shifting of nearly 1.15 million people to cyclone shelters, combined with other risk mitigation measures helped to save many lives as he highlighted Cyclone Fani, which has hit Odisha in May this year, as a case study in early preparedness and disaster management. Special surveillance was fixed for early detection and control or containment of vector-borne and water-borne diseases. There has been no outbreak of epidemic-prone disease following cyclone Fani.

He also said that the whole exercise of accurate prediction of cyclone Fani and saving thousands of human lives was appreciated and acknowledged by the United Nations and many other international agencies. India has provided timely medical supplies worth USD 10 million to 13 countries spread over South-East Asia, Asia Pacific and Africa requiring humanitarian assistance. He further added that they would continue to extend medical assistance to six countries this year with supplies worth USD 5 million.

It is for the second time that India is hosting the WHO Regional Committee of South-East Asia meeting. Eight health ministers from eight of the 11 countries of the WHO South East Asia Region (SEAR), Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region and senior officers of the Health Ministry were present at the ministerial roundtable