PHILIPPINE government officials will work closely with their Indian counterparts to realize the agreements forged between the two countries during his ongoing state visit, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured Indian President Droupadi Murmu during their bilateral meeting on Tuesday night.
The President, who is on a five-day state visit to India that started last August 4 and conclude on August 8, likewise committed to deepen the friendship between the two nations.
Marcos said he did not expect to cover much ground given the limited time and tight schedule of his visit.
“This has been one of my most productive and constructive visits that I have ever had, and I attribute this to the enduring closeness between the Philippines and India, and in the time that we spent here, short as it was, we have discovered a multitude of possibilities and areas of potential,” he said.
During his visit, the President met with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chair and Indian Health and Family Welfare Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, during which both leaders committed to strengthen and explore stronger cooperation in the health sector.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, who was present during the meeting on Tuesday, said the first part of the dialogue focused on India’s healthcare system, including its provision of services to at least 600 million of its people such as maternal care, hypertension checkups as well as for breast, oral, and cervical cancer.
He said Marcos and Nadda also talked about India’s use of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers, which has been likened to Filipino barangay health workers, to help and reach more communities.
“It’s a model we can look at,” Herbosa said, adding that the Philippines is also looking at India’s telemedicine system.
He said he also handed Nadda a copy of the signed memorandum of understanding between India’s National Institute of Ayurveda and the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC), to which the Indian leader said, “we will prioritize this, and we will help you.”
He said the discussions also touched on the growing number of Indian medical students in the Philippines and India’s interest in the country’s cost-effective and high-quality liver transplant services.
Herbosa said the Philippines is looking forward to learning more from India, especially its doctors who are known to be among the most intelligent and dedicated in the world.
On Wednesday, Marcos met with several business leaders from India whom he invited to invest in the Philippines.
The President is pushing for a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the Philippines and India to expand market access and reinforce supply chain resilience between the two countries.
On Thursday, the President is scheduled to fly to Bengaluru, India’s technology and innovation capital, where he is expected to meet with Indian industry leaders to pursue further cooperation in digital infrastructure, startups, and advanced manufacturing.
