Panaji | A visit to a Jan Aushadhi Kendra has piqued the interest of the delegates at the G20 Health Working Group meeting here with Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Tuesday saying that some of them have expressed their desire to emulate it in their country for which India will provide all possible help.

Mandaviya, who took 10 delegates to the Jan Aushadhi Kendra, explained to them how the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana ensures access to quality and affordable medicines for the people in every nook and corner of the country.

Underlining that India never linked health with commerce, the Union health minister said that over 9,500 Jan Aushadhi Kendras are operational in the country.

"The delegates who came to the G20 (Health Working Group meeting) visited the Jan Aushadhi Kendra and took detailed information about this public welfare project. Some of them want to implement this scheme in their country as well. India will provide all possible help to them in this regard," Mandaviya said.

Vinod Menon, the in-charge of the Jan Aushadhi Kendra in Panaji, said the delegates wanted to know from him the entire process -- from manufacturing to distribution of medicines to all the centres all around India.

"They wanted to know from where the medicines are procured by the government or are manufactured and how these are delivered to different centres. They were also interested in the software through which the stock and sale of the drugs are tracked," Menon said.

Oluchi Ezeajughi, a delegate from Nigeria, said, "I think it's a wonderful initiative that the government is thinking of how to bring healthcare closer to the common people and make it more affordable. It is a laudable initiative to help the population lead a healthy life." "It can be emulated in other countries. We will take the idea and go back to our country and perhaps see how we can implement something like this in our healthcare system," Ezeajughi said.

Tracey Julie Mcneill, from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, termed the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana an "impressive" initiative and said it is a kind of model that can be replicated in other countries to make medicines affordable and accessible for people.

Mandaviya along with the delegates also visited a health and wellness centre in Corlim where he distributed nutrition kits ("Poshan Potli") among tuberculosis patients. Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar, who also accompanied him, distributed eyeglasses to children under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram.

UNICEF India's chief of health Luigi d'Aquino said, "I have seen amazing progress in the four years that I have spent in this country when it comes to children. Fewer children are dying and babies are surviving... Most of the babies are immunised. So there is a lot of progress and it is visible to the world." The second Health Working Group meeting under India's G20 presidency will conclude on April 19. More than 180 delegates from 19 G20 member countries, 10 invited states and 22 international organisations are participating in it.

India's G20 Presidency has prioritized three areas of health which include health emergencies prevention, preparedness, and response with a focus on one-health and antimicrobial resistance; strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector; and digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service delivery.