“It is only partnerships that will get us to our goals. Partnerships between citizens, Partnerships between communities, Partnerships between countries. The Sustainable Development agenda is a reflection of this.” This was stated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he inaugurated the Partners’ Forum, 2018. The Prime Minister also released the coffee table book ‘Proven Paths’,  a compendium of 36 best practices in maternal, child and adolescent health, at the inaugural ceremony.

The Prime Minister said that the Partnership for Maternal, New-born, and Child Health, is a unique and effective platform. “We are not only making a case for better health. We are also making an argument for faster growth,” he added. He further said that India was one of the first countries to advocate focused attention on adolescence and implement an extensive health promotion and prevention programme for adolescents. Our effort ensured that they get their due recognition in the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health adopted in 2015, he mentioned.

Appreciating the Immunization Programme of the country, Prime Minister said that the programme is close to his heart and he is pleased that it’s being featured as a success story in this forum. “Under Mission Indradhanush, we reached 32.8 million children and 8.4 million pregnant women over the last three years. We have also increased the number of vaccines under the universal immunization programme from 7 to 12. Our vaccines now cover life threatening diseases like- Pneumonia and Diarrhoea,” he elaborated.