07 AUGUST 2014 - Chennai: A national consultation on 'improving access, promoting Innovation' in the context of universal health coverage, organized by the WHO Country Office for India in collaboration with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India and the Centre for Technology and Policy, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras was inaugurated today.

A first of its kind in India, the three-day workshop brings together representatives from key organizations and institutions with a mandate to ensure universal access to drugs. The deliberations are aimed at sharing the best practices in this area from across the world.

In her inaugural address, Dr Nata Menabde, WHO Representative to India underscored the importance of universal health coverage and its interplay with improving access and promoting innovation, the over-arching themes of the consultation.

“This consultation is particularly relevant as it addresses issues of access and innovation, while carefully considering intellectual property and trade issues that impact public health. It examines international and national experience in promoting innovation and in managing intellectual property related issues. But most importantly it explores avenues for building trust and working together,” Dr Menabde said.

“Public health concerns increasingly figure in international relationships and we at the WHO believe that we can and should play an important role in building capacities of Member States to deal with these complex issues and promote collaboration between countries in achieving global health goals,” she added.

Also present at the inaugural session were Dr.V.K.Subburaj, Secretary, Department of AIDS Control, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India; Dr J. Radhakrishnan, Health Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu; Dr T.S. Ravikumar, Director, JIPMER, Puducherry and Dr Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Chennai.

The consultation will address a range of issues including: stakeholders’ views on access to medicines in the context of universal health coverage; role of innovation and development in improving access; intellectual property rights and access to medicines; voluntary licensing and what India can learn from national and international experiences; the principles, process and experiences of different countries related to compulsory licensing; trade and intellectual property in the global health context.

The workshop will also address the challenge that governments are facing in ensuring that new drugs in the pipeline are affordable and accessible for all. Though most of the essential drugs and devices are off patent already, this list is dynamic and in a period of eight to 10 years, over one-thirds of the leading medicines that are currently in use for different conditions would change.

The workshop will also deliberate on compulsory licensing and highlight how, through careful negotiations, nations can improve access to drugs and progress towards universal health coverage by promoting innovation. Examples from countries like Brazil, Thailand, China and South Africa will bring out useful experiences and lessons on how progress can be made towards improved access.

The workshop is being attended by representatives of various ministries, government science and technology institutions, legal and other relevant national and international experts who have led similar work successfully in their countries, and civil society groups who have fostered public understanding in this area.

For more information, please contact:

Mr Rajeev Varma
Senior Communications Officer
WHO India Country Office
New Delhi
Tel: 91-11-66564800
Mobile: +91 8826611139
E-mail:varmar@who.int

Visit our website: All press releases, fact sheets and other WHO media material may be found at http://www.searo.who.int/india