Call to Action Summit-2015

Call to Action Summit-2015 

Community Partnership and Accountable Mechanisms are Critical to Health System: Shri J P Nadda 


Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare chaired the closing session of the two-day “Global Call to Action Summit 2015- ending preventable maternal and child deaths”, co-hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and the Health Ministry of Ethiopia, in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Tata Trusts, UNICEF, USAID and WHO, here today. The “Delhi Declaration” was signed at the end of the summit which saw participation of Health Ministers and heads of country delegations from 22 countries. 

On the occasion, the Health Minister said community partnerships and accountability of mechanisms are critical to health systems strengthening and last mile service delivery; mobilizing community support and optimizing resources to consolidate gains. He urged all leaders from participating countries to “commit to a culture of evidence-based decision-making, strengthen accountability of national health systems and align resources to those with the greatest need.” 

He said, our challenges are common but ways of addressing them come from investments in strengthening healthcare and orchestrating health reform. Providing healthcare is not a mechanical function, but an integral part of a universal and transformative sustainable development agenda. So, we need to work together and carve out mechanisms of partnerships that will help us reach the Sustainable Development Goals. Inclusion is the key to progress and provision of equitable services and universalizing access are pathways to change, he added. 

The Health Minister said the Ministerial Conclave helped set the leadership agenda in the period of transition from the Millennium Development Goals and endorsement of the Sustainable Development Goals. In a short span of time we were able to issue the Third Global Call to Action Joint Statement which is a path-breaking declaration that reflects country commitments to the health and well-being of women and children and ending preventable deaths, he added. The Health Minister added that India will lead the efforts to demonstrate global progress in maternal and child health by working closely with global partners to make sure that the post 2015 development agenda will advance the cause of ending preventable child and maternal deaths. 

He said, Public-Private Partnerships are also emerging as game-changers and we need to take advantage of the support offered by corporate sector and industry to better health systems performance and delivery. He further added that today, geographical boundaries are being breached by technological innovations such as mobile telephony and information and communication technologies. So, we need to use technology for maximum good and to broden the scope of healthcare. 

Speaking at the summit, Shri B P Sharma, Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) said that evidence based decision making and community level accountability are the cornerstones of a functional and impactful public health service delivery system. He emphasized the importance of cross-learnings from the experience of other countries. He also highlighted the existing accountability structures within the National Health Mission. 

Mr. Richard Verma, Ambassador of the USA to India was also present at the closing ceremony of the summit. Speaking on the occasion, he stated that we need to continue our collaborative partnership to help reduce maternal and child deaths through causes that can be easily avoided. He added that the USA is ready to align its efforts towards the targets set in the Delhi Declaration.

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“Delhi Declaration” signed at the end of Global Call to Action Summit 2015: ending preventable maternal and child deaths 

The “Delhi Declaration” was signed at the end of “Global Call to Action Summit 2015: ending preventable maternal and child deaths”, here today. The full text of the Declaration is as follows:- 

We, the Ministers and Heads of Country Delegations of 22 countries, gathered here in New Delhi, India from August 27- 28, 2015, for the Third Global Call to Action Summit, 2015 applaud the remarkable progress achieved in reducing maternal, newborn, and child mortality. We acknowledge the global partnerships, support and resources mobilized to achieve these gains, and save over 100 million lives since 1990. 

We are at a pivotal time as a global community with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) completing at the end of 2015, and nations preparing to embrace a universal and transformative sustainable development agenda that leaves no one behind and ensures the health and well-being of all, particularly women, children and adolescents. 

Recognizing the centrality of the health and well-being of women and children in shaping prosperous and sustainable societies, we commit to accelerate efforts to end preventable child and maternal deaths in support of the Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health. 

We commit to making measurable improvements in reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health through our respective country health plans, and, where needed, to develop focused country investment frameworks. We will work together to ensure women, newborn, children, and adolescents: 

● Survive. We will end preventable maternal, newborn, and child mortality. We will reduce preventable deaths from both infectious and non-communicable diseases. We will strengthen health systems, including delivery of routine services and resilience to cope with unforeseen events. 

● Thrive. We will end all forms of malnutrition, and seek to address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and children. We will prioritize universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services including for family planning. We recognize the need to promote inclusive and diverse partnerships and multi-sectoral action, and encourage adaptation and scale up of appropriate technologies, innovations and best practices, as a means to facilitate more rapid, effective, and equitable services, and access to timely, acceptable, quality, and respectful care. 

● Transform. We will seek to create an enabling environment that fosters gender equality and the participation of all stakeholders including civil society, professional bodies, academia and the private sector and ensure through appropriate laws, policies and entitlements the realization of the rights of every mother, newborn, child, and adolescent. We commit to advancing equitable access to services and prioritizing the needs of those in marginalized, underserved, and poorer segments of the population. We will seek to strengthen cross-sectoral collaboration to promote universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, and education, in order to ensure that everyone is given the opportunity to reach his/her full potential. 

To this end, we commit to mobilize the increased resources needed to accelerate our progress and support the implementation of the Post 2015 development agenda. 

We commit ourselves to developing a culture of evidence-based decision-making, strengthening accountability and aligning our resources to those with the greatest need. We will hold ourselves accountable to these commitments through regular monitoring of progress through this joint platform, and to promote cross-learning, knowledge sharing and collaboration among the 22 nations to end preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children; while safeguarding and promoting their health and well-being.