Prime Minister , and Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, today agreed to step up the health
partnership between the UK and India. The UK-India
Statement of Intent on Partnership for Cooperation in Third
Countries will be extended, with the aim of improving the
health and wealth of both countries.
Health research will be expanded in the areas of:
- anti-microbial resistance
- low cost health products
- high yield crops
The UK government will invest £1 million in an Artificial
Intelligence (AI) project that will support India’s
national health programmes. UK-based companies with
innovative healthcare technologies will be able to
participate in this project, which will generate around £50
million of business for the UK’s digital health industry.
There are also plans to develop up to 5,000 diagnostic
centres in India using NHS expertise, equipment and
suppliers.
Eleven new ‘medicities’ are already being developed in
India, with related:
- hospitals
- nursing and medical colleges
- research and innovation centres
The medicities programme is run by the Indo UK Institute of
Health (IUIH) in partnership
with leading UK hospitals, the first of which is King’s
College Hospital.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care said:
I am proud that our NHS will be used as an example of
gold standard healthcare in India – it is only right that
our world-leading knowledge and expertise is shared
across the globe.
Global disease, infection and antimicrobial resistance
are real threats to us at home and abroad – this
partnership will enable us to tackle 21st century threats
together.
Health Minister said:
Health expertise and research is a global issue – if we
act alone in tackling virulent diseases and long term
health threats, we will fail.
This partnership between Britain and India represents a
firm trajectory for healthcare into the modern world.
Through new research, shared expertise and attention to
ground-breaking technologies, both nations can continue
to lead the world in health and care.
