IT may be a coincidence that more than 50 countries are going to the polls during 2024. But the fact that the world’s oldest (United States) and the largest (India) democracies are included is significant. The US is not only India’s largest and most important trading and strategical partner but also shares its democratic values, and shared prosperity, covering almost all areas of human development, including healthcare.
Non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, strengthening health systems and services, and maternal and child health have been key areas of cooperation as iterated during the launch of the US-India Health Initiative in Geneva during the World Health Assembly in 2010. There has been a sustained research collaboration in the health sector under the bilateral vaccine action programme, capacity-building programmes such as the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), affordable healthcare solutions, Ayurveda, and pharmaceutics.
India supplies about 40 per cent of generic formulations marketed in the US. Indian pharma companies have manufacturing locations in about 14 locations in the US and the most prominent US Food and Drug Administration-compliant pharmaceutical plants. The India-US Health Dialogue provides a platform to deliberate upon multiple ongoing collaborations in the health sector between the two countries.
The 2021 Dialogue witnessed the signing of the MoU to establish cooperation in health and biomedical sciences. An MoU was also signed between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for cooperation in establishing the International Centre for Excellence in Research. The US and India, through the State visit of the Indian Prime Minister, and global platforms such as G20, Quad, and I2U2, are involved in promoting health collaboration in diverse areas of therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccines. In addition, the focus on environment, climate change and human health, and antimicrobial resistance have led to strong partnerships to reinforce global health governance, health security, and health diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region and other parts of the world. Beyond health, India-US bilateral cooperation and investments in clean energy, space, defence, and security have influenced and impacted health outcomes.
Challenges such as Covid-19 pandemic, global conflicts, climate change, carbon footprints, UNSC reforms, trade and technology concerns, and lack of progress in SDGs are the pressing umbrella issues impacting the health sector. The Healthin-All-Policies (HIAP) approach as a comprehensive cooperation strategy provides a window of opportunity to enhance India-US cooperation in the current uncertain and challenging global situations. The progress, however, depends on social and economic determinants, political leadership, political will, and political commitment. Thus, the outcome of the US elections becomes vital.
Meanwhile, with its multi-alignment foreign policy, assertive diplomacy, and rebranding as the voice of the Global South in the G20 Summit, India has repositioned itself in the current world order. The political leadership in India and the US has played a significant role in ongoing geopolitical and geoeconomic transformation. Further negotiations and consensus are required in addressing humanitarian situations and health security issues impacting global supply chains, mobility, and trade. Considering the context, the role of political leadership in India and the US in this defining year is a tipping point for global public good and global health security. As the world needs a more robust and resilient global health security framework, India and the US could collaboratively lead this project.
