Sweden India Year of Health 2019

Photo credit: AIIMS Jodhpur

As a kick-off to the Sweden India Year of Health 2019, Swecare was privileged to organize H.E. Lena Hallengren's first trip in her new role as Swedish Minister for Health and Social Affairs. It is a testament to the incredible commitment by both the Indian and Swedish Health Ministries to our ten-year collaboration that we managed to pack in such a high-level, well-rounded delegation in the short timespan between the conclusion of the lengthy Swedish election cycle and the start of the Indian one.

The program for the 35-strong delegation began with an internal round table for all life science companies on Friday, 22 May, morning. Given that the increased number of Swedish new companies entering the Indian market, this was an opportunity for established ones to share their experiences and for the agencies to learn about market-entry challenges. The session began with a presentation by Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) Directors Dr. Mavalankar and Dr. Bhalla on the Indian health care sector, the impact of recent reforms, and their work.

Minister Hallengren presided over the India-Sweden Business Leaders' Round Table (ISBLRT) in a parallel session in the morning.

Photo credit: Confederation of Indian Industries (CII)

The two groups then got together to hold a Health Dialogue: Conference of the Sustainable Development Goals – Impact Driven Partnerships Beyond Traditional Silos in the afternoon. The session was opened by Health Secretary Preeti Sudan along with Professor Bhargava, Director-General at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The lively discussions covered topics ranging from procurement ("the Taj Mahal would never have been built with today's tender practices" - Dr. Advani) to innovation ("we cannot innovate for innovation's sake" - Vlachos). EMPE Diagnostics and AstraZeneca launched new initiatives in India with the blessing from both Ministries of Health.

Photo credit: Business Sweden India

Photo credit: Swecare

All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur were our gracious hosts over a weekend which included open and earnest discussions over collaboration opportunities, a beautiful dinner at the foot of Jodhpur's fort, and a visit to health centers for some of the group.

Topics discussed:

• Public health & infection control
• Innovation
• Skills, Competency development & Research
• HMIS, Data, Analytics & e-Health

We have follow-up meetings already planned and will keep you updated as we narrow our scope in order to focus on where Sweden can generate the most impact.

The trip ended with a bilateral meeting between Ministers Hallengren and Nadda on Monday morning. We hope to have an incoming visit from the Indian Minister later this year.

Photo credit: Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi

Thank you to all our partners in this endeavour: Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi, Business Sweden India, Swedish Chamber of Commerce in India.

Special mention: Mumbai Consulate, Sweden India Business Council, Tasting India.

Our Indian counterparts: Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, AIIMS Jodhpur, CDSCO, ICMR, Indian Embassy in Sweden, Public Health Foundation of India.