Dr Kaushik Sarkar

📢 Exciting Conversation with honourable Union Cabinet Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment, Sh. Bhupender Yadav BJP at 🌟

I had the privilege of engaging in a candid conversation with Sh. Bhupender Yadav ji yesterday, where we delved into the development agenda and political values highlighted in his insightful book "The Rise of the BJP." It was an honor to discuss India's leadership in several key areas, including the green economy, climate change, digital transformation, soft power, employment opportunities, and people's movement. 📚

During the interview, Sh. Yadav ji shared invaluable perspectives on how India is spearheading the transition to a green economy, emphasizing the significance of sustainable practices for long-term prosperity.💚

We also explored the government's vision for tackling climate change, with Sh. Yadav ji outlining India's proactive approach in mitigating environmental risks and promoting a resilient future.🌱

Another crucial aspect we discussed was India's digital transformation journey. Sh. Yadav ji highlighted the role of technology in empowering our citizens and driving inclusive growth across various sectors.💻

Furthermore, we touched upon the concept of soft power and its significance in strengthening India's global influence. Sh. Yadav ji emphasized the rich heritage and diversity that make India a powerhouse of soft power, fostering international collaboration and goodwill.🌍

Our conversation also revolved around employment opportunities and the government's commitment to creating a thriving job market for all. Sh. Yadav ji shared valuable insights on the measures being taken to boost employment in both organized and unorganized sectors.🤝

Lastly, we discussed the importance of people's movements and their role in shaping India's future. Sh. Yadav ji highlighted the power of collective action and the government's commitment to engaging with citizens to drive positive change.🙌

I will be posting a video of our engaging conversation very soon. Stay tuned to gain valuable insights from Sh. Bhupender Yadav ji himself!📹

Let's work together to create a brighter future for India, where sustainable development thrives, digital innovations empower, soft power influences, employment opportunities flourish, and people's movements drive positive change.🌟

https://youtu.be/gQT_u7rBMsM

Day 2: How countries should prepare for climate impacts on health For more international development news, visit: http://www.devex.comSubscribe to the Devex YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_us...

I am delighted to be speaking at the upcoming Devex CheckUp event on the sidelines of the 76th World Health Assembly on May 24th and 25th. The event, themed "Accelerating Innovation in Global Health," presents a unique opportunity to deliberate on strategies to get ahead of the curve through improved access to medicines, quality healthcare services, blended financing, and scalable innovations.

In today's fast-paced and dynamic world, climate change poses an unprecedented challenge to every sector and the global health industry is not immune to it. Therefore, it is vital that we adopt a proactive and results-driven approach to combat this issue head-on. I am excited to share my insights on how countries can leverage innovation and cost-effective sustainable solutions to build resilience against climate change.

This event promises to be a game-changer, and I am excited to share thoughts with all those who are serious about driving change and making a meaningful impact on global health. Let's be the disruptors, not the disrupted, and create a sustainable future for generations to come.

Register now at https://pages.devex.com/devex-checkup-at-wha-76.html and let's turn the tide on climate change.

Devex CheckUp @ WHA 76 Join the journalists who bring you the global health newsletter Devex CheckUp — in person or online — for two days of insightful conversations with the individuals who are shaping the future of global health.

Revolutionary AI Assistant 'Sara' by Innovaccer Accelerates Knowledge Extraction for Healthcare Executives

Innovaccer, a healthcare data analytics firm, has unveiled its latest innovation in the form of Sara, an advanced conversational AI assistant that aims to help healthcare executives and administrators gain meaningful insights from the massive amount of data available to them. Sara's capabilities enable executives to ask complex questions and get immediate answers on clinical, financial, or operational metrics. Its cutting-edge features allow for the granular analysis of specific information, resulting in swift identification of operational challenges and population health insights. The disruptive change brought about by Sara's speed of response is particularly noteworthy, as it obviates the months-long wait executives typically have to endure while data teams build dashboards.

Named after the Hindu goddess Saraswati, who symbolizes knowledge and order, Sara embodies these values in its design. Kanav Hasija, Innovaccer's Chief Product Officer, notes that there is a firewall between lean data and good knowledge in healthcare. Despite healthcare executives' access to digitized information, they still find it challenging to extract knowledge from the data. Sara aims to expedite this process by facilitating the swift acquisition of insights and meaning from vast amounts of data.

Innovaccer's announcement also includes five additional data-powered solutions aimed at helping providers improve their clinical, financial, and operational performance metrics. These solutions encompass a customer relationship management tool, a health equity analytics tool, software to enhance discharge care planning, a tool for visualizing market dynamics, and software to enhance coding accuracy.

While Sara is initially designed for healthcare executives and administrators, Innovaccer is also developing a similar assistant for nurses and doctors that may be launched later this year. This assistant will enable clinicians to ask questions about patient charts and receive quick answers, improving decision-making in clinical settings. Overall, Innovaccer's new solutions aim to promote greater efficiency in the healthcare industry and provide better healthcare services to patients.

Antitrust Penalties on Google by Competition Commission of India: A Call to Prioritize Fair Competition in the Health Tech Industry

The recent antitrust penalties levied against Google by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for its anti-competitive practices in the Android mobile ecosystem and the Play Store market have highlighted the growing global concern over tech monopolies' market dominance and their adverse effects on competition in the digital economy. These penalties are a call to action for tech giants to prioritize fair competition in the health tech industry.

The surge in venture capital and private equity funds, globalization, and a thriving startup ecosystem in the health tech industry have created new regulatory challenges that require measures to prevent unfair discrimination. As an independent and market-friendly anti-trust regulator, the CCI champions competitive markets and remains neutral on market dominance. The CCI's actions against Google show that anti-competitive behavior will not be tolerated, and corrective measures will be taken to restore competition in the health tech industry.

The CCI's move against Google serves as a warning to other tech giants that their market dominance will be scrutinized, and corrective measures will be taken to restore fair competition in the digital economy. The fines imposed by the CCI on Google are unprecedented and underscore the importance of a level playing field in the health tech industry. The corrective measures taken by the CCI are a crucial step towards fostering innovation in the health tech industry, promoting fair competition, and ensuring that consumers have access to innovative and affordable health technology solutions.

Sustainable Food Value Chain: Addressing Challenges to End World Hunger and Ensure a Better Future

The Sustainable Food Value Chain is an essential approach to ending world hunger while promoting economic, environmental, and social sustainability. However, the latest report on Food Security and Nutrition reveals that the world is not on track to meet SDGs targets to eliminate hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition. In 2021, hunger affected 828 million people, and almost 924 million people suffered from food insecurity, representing a significant increase from 2019 figures. The joint child malnutrition estimate showed that 149M under-five children are stunted, 45M are wasted, and 39M are overweight. Moreover, the Ukraine conflict pushed 95 million people into extreme poverty.

To ensure sustainable food systems, we must consider factors such as agricultural practices, poverty, malnutrition, land degradation, water scarcity, social inequality, and climate change. Achieving food security and sustainability for the projected 9.7 billion people by 2050 requires increasing food output by 70 percent, raising ecological concerns. Therefore, we must focus on "ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns" as emphasized in Goal 12 of the SDGs.

Economical, environmental, and social sustainability must be considered to build a Sustainable Food Value Chain. The food industry provides employment for 1.1 billion people, and smallholder farmers provide ecosystem functions, climate services, and income growth, particularly in rural areas. Short food supply networks are better for small and medium-scale producers, and traceability technologies like Blockchain, RFID, and barcode systems are essential for sustainability. Industry 4.0 technology can decrease food loss and waste through better information exchange, highlighting the importance of inter-organizational collaboration for food sector sustainability.

Regulatory Challenges and Tech Monopolies: Impacts on Global Health

The escalating apprehension concerning tech monopolies and regulatory obstacles in the United States and India reverberates through global health, especially in the realms of healthcare access and innovation. The overarching dominion of colossal tech companies poses a perilous risk of restrained access to crucial healthcare information and services, resulting in a paucity of competition, escalated prices, and diminished innovation.

Tech monopolies' control over the information flow impedes smaller entities' competitive edge, consequently, impeding access to essential healthcare information for patients. This, in turn, gives rise to the absence of transparency and accountability, ultimately compromising public health.

Moreover, the amplifying concentration of power within tech behemoths is responsible for impeding healthcare innovation. Usually, the onus of driving healthcare innovation falls on small startups and entrepreneurs, but with tech monopolies' omnipresence, they may struggle to establish themselves in the market, leading to a lack of innovation.

Additionally, the burgeoning assimilation of data amongst tech giants poses a threat to data breaches and privacy concerns, endangering healthcare data like patient records.

Therefore, regulatory action is of utmost importance to ensure equitable competition in the market, safeguard patient privacy, and foster healthcare innovation. The appointment of Lina Khan as the youngest-ever chair of the Federal Trade Commission and the Competition Commission of India's measures against Google augur well towards accomplishing these objectives. However, further resolute action is indispensable to confront novel challenges that arise in the face of technology's rapid evolution.

Building Organizational Resilience: Key Capabilities for Global Health Organizations to Navigate Disruption and Drive Growth

In the rapidly changing landscape of the business world, it is imperative for companies, including global health organizations, to cultivate organizational resilience. The key capabilities that must be prioritized to achieve this are agility, self-sufficiency, adaptable leadership, and investment in talent and culture.

Agility involves a paradigm shift towards expeditious, data-informed decision-making, which may produce "good enough" outcomes, allowing leaders and teams to test, learn, and swiftly adapt to change. McKinsey's research posits that companies with agile decision-making processes are 2.7 times more likely to be top performers in their industries.

Self-sufficient teams with a sense of ownership of outcomes and empowerment to execute strategic plans can help foster resilience. Research by Deloitte found that organizations with robust feedback and coaching cultures are 1.9 times more likely to have employees who are confident in their abilities to navigate change.

Adaptable leaders who coach team members through change, catalyze new behaviors, and develop capabilities are crucial to organizational resilience. The Harvard Business Review has found that organizations with adaptable leaders are 1.5 times more likely to innovate and 1.7 times more likely to have engaged employees.

Investing in talent and culture can also help build resilience, as adaptable environments are more likely to attract and retain top talent. PwC's study shows that organizations that invest in talent and culture are 2.2 times more likely to be viewed as successful by employees and 1.5 times more likely to have increased revenue growth.

To build resilience, senior management should assess all four capabilities simultaneously. Decision-making speed, operating models for quick pivots, and attracting the "right" talent are critical factors. Companies can establish decision-making bodies comprising senior leaders or key stakeholders and implement effective meeting and time management practices to accelerate decision-making processes.

The post-COVID-19 era has seen executives implement changes in meeting structure and cadence to ensure productivity and focus on problem-solving. Meeting-free days and innovation-focused activities can also help teams manage their time effectively.

Research demonstrates that building organizational resilience pays off in the long run. Companies that fared better than their peers during the last economic downturn increased their earnings by 10 percent, while their peers lost nearly 15 percent in earnings. By focusing on agility, self-sufficiency, adaptable leadership, and investment in talent organizations can navigate disruption and drive growth.

IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report: A Groundbreaking Achievement in Climate Science with Profound Implications for Global Health

Examining the State of Our Planet and the Urgent Need for Action
The IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) is a significant global endeavor that examines the state of our planet and its impact on human health. The report, which took eight years to complete and involved the contributions of scientists and scholars from various disciplines worldwide, presents findings from tens-of-thousands of peer-reviewed papers, making it the most extensive study of climate change to date. While it may not have been the most captivating headline, its critical takeaways emphasize the dire need for immediate and significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius.

Climate Change and Global Health: Implications
Climate change has significant implications for global health, with vulnerable and marginalized communities disproportionately affected. The difference between the levels of warming, ranging from 1.1 degrees to 2 degrees, will have a substantial impact on human well-being, ecosystem health, and political stability. The report underscores that the impact of climate change on human health will only worsen if immediate and significant action is not taken. In particular, policymakers must implement adaptation policies and plans to address the potential warming that could exceed 3 degrees Celsius, which would have severe consequences for human health.

Essential Components of Public Health Initiatives
The transition to sustainable systems requires good governance, access to finance, and behavior change, all of which are essential components of public health initiatives. The report emphasizes the need for redirecting investments away from fossil fuels, which would also have significant health benefits, as the burning of fossil fuels contributes to air pollution, respiratory diseases, and premature deaths. Thus, the IPCC's AR6 report has far-reaching implications for global health and underscores the urgency of addressing climate change to protect human health.

The Significance of the AR6 Report: Implications for Humanity's Future
The completion of the AR6 report took longer than anticipated due to the complexity of the subject matter and political events. Nonetheless, it represents a remarkable accomplishment in process and scholarship, and its findings have far-reaching implications for humanity's future. The report's release highlights the need for continued global collaboration and action to address the significant challenges facing the planet, particularly in terms of the impact of climate change on human health.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

The dearth of skilled workers has emerged as a critical challenge for organizations, which is projected to worsen in the near future. Nearly 90% of businesses anticipate encountering a significant skills gap in the coming years, exacerbated by the rapid digitalization and automation of work activities, which are further driving skill shifts. According to research, about 40% of Americans and 34% of Western Europeans are likely to switch occupational groups by 2030, and with 40% of workers intending to leave their jobs, attrition is posing a significant obstacle in retaining critical skills within organizations.

Consequently, companies need to transform their approach to talent, moving from attraction to hiring for potential and, more importantly, enterprise-scale skill development. People development is fundamental for attracting, retaining, and driving long-term market advantage. This article proposes eight essential steps that people leaders must adopt as they build their organizational capabilities.

However, redesigning people development is complex and challenging, necessitating responding to changes in modern employee behavior, keeping up with the pace and scale of business capability-building needs, and incorporating the latest advancements in learning technology. Nonetheless, there are eight essential imperatives that organizations can implement to tackle the challenge.

One strategy companies can adopt to overcome the talent shortage is to rethink their recruitment practices. For instance, people with unconventional career paths may possess demonstrated ability to master new skills and absorb new knowledge. Adopting such a recruiting strategy demands a commitment to help these employees expand their skills to fit their roles by emphasizing people development.

Developing employees effectively requires organizations to consider their expectations and needs, including empowering them to access relevant content anytime, anywhere. Modern employees expect learning to be contextualized, personalized, easily accessible in consumable formats, incorporated into daily workflow, and supported by timely nudges. Organizations must learn to create intentional moments of connection in a hybrid "phygital" world and rethink how to integrate the best of both worlds into their people development.

Health securitization has become increasingly prevalent, with influential players framing health problems as existential threats to justify extreme measures. WHO defines global health security as minimizing the impact of public health events across borders. However, this narrow focus on protecting nation-states obscures discussions of non-medical determinants of health. WHO's disease-oriented policy takes precedence over access to medicines and the development of broader health programs. Between 2009 and 2020, WHO declared six Public Health Emergencies of International Concern, but medicines and vaccines developed in the Global South benefit the Global North.

𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

In today's fast-changing business environment, building organizational resilience is critical for companies to remain competitive and responsive to market conditions. To achieve this, organizations must prioritize four key capabilities: agility, self-sufficiency, adaptive leadership, and investment in talent and culture. Agility implies a shift to faster, data-driven decision-making and “good enough” outcomes, enabling leaders and teams to test, learn, and adapt quickly.

McKinsey Research shows that companies with agile decision-making are 2.7 times more likely to perform best in their industries. Self-reliant teams who own the results and feel empowered to execute strategic plans can help build resilience. Research by Deloitte found that organizations with strong feedback and coaching cultures are 1.9 times more likely to have employees who are confident in their ability to navigate change. Adaptive leaders who coach team members through change, catalyze new behaviors, and build capabilities are critical to organizational resilience. The Harvard Business Review found that organizations with adaptable leaders are 1.5 times more likely to innovate and 1.7 times more likely to have engaged employees. Investing in talent and culture can also help build resilience, as adaptive environments are more likely to attract and retain top talent. The PwC study shows that organizations that invest in talent and culture are 2.2 times more likely to be viewed as successful by employees and 1.5 times more likely to have higher revenue growth.

To build resilience, top management must evaluate all four capabilities simultaneously. The speed of decision making, operating models for quick pivots, and attracting the "right" talent are critical. Companies can establish decision-making bodies composed of senior executives or key stakeholders and implement effective meeting and time management practices to accelerate decision-making.


Research shows that building organizational resilience pays off in the long run. Companies that outperformed their peers during the last economic downturn increased their profits by 10%, while their peers lost nearly 15% in profit. By focusing on agility, self-sufficiency, adaptive leadership, and investing in talent and culture, organizations can address disruption and drive growth.

Geopolitics and global health: the need to reform the international health regulation

Public health has become a key concern for governments around the world, and the globalization of health has had a significant impact on international health governance. As a result, the International Sanitary Regulations (IHR) were introduced in 1969 to address health safety concerns. These regulations have been changed several times to keep pace with emerging and re-emerging diseases such as H1N1, Ebola, COVID-19 and Monkeypox. However, recent pandemics have highlighted the need to reform global healthcare organizations and regulations. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical need to reform international organizations and regulations to effectively address global health issues. The current trade war between the United States and China has created problems in international health cooperation. The conflict between China and Taiwan and Taiwan's geopolitical ambitions have further complicated matters. As a result, a shift towards strategic autonomy to address global health issues is gaining momentum. The effectiveness of the International Health Regulations is hampered by a lack of clarity and political will. The IHR (2005) requires nations to notify the World Health Organization (WHO) of potential global health emergencies, but many nations do not meet basic capability requirements. Prior to the original June deadline, only 42 (22%) of WHO member states met these requirements.

International health standards need reform due to geopolitical tensions, nationalism and populism. International organizations have to work in a dynamic and volatile geopolitical environment. Textual clarity and political will are needed to ensure effective implementation of the IHR. The success of any global health initiative requires the cooperation of all nations and international organizations, and the reform of international health standards will play a crucial role in this effort.

𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐀𝐌𝐑): 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝟐𝟎 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐁𝐒𝐀

The perilous threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) looms large over the global public health landscape. Fortunately, the G20 and IBSA have the potential to wield their considerable influence in the fight against AMR. These multilateral groupings can provide much-needed funding and private sector investment, advocate for the responsible use of antibiotics, and establish robust surveillance and monitoring mechanisms to ensure the efficacy of antibiotics in treating infections across all age groups. India, Brazil, and South Africa have already taken commendable steps in combating AMR by crafting national action plans, instituting surveillance systems, and regulating antibiotic sales.

To ensure a future that is prepared to combat pandemics, clinical trials following standard master protocols and sharing results in a single database accessible to every country will be paramount. In addition, Australian hospitals' antimicrobial stewardship programs serve as an indispensable tool in the fight against AMR. These programs aim to enhance the judicious use of antibiotics and reduce the development and spread of resistant bacteria. WHO-led initiatives, such as the Quadripartite agreement on AMR, can also play a pivotal role in promoting the responsible use of antimicrobials in animal agriculture, strengthening surveillance systems, and facilitating research and development of new antimicrobials.

Taking a comprehensive approach to AMR will require coordination among various sectors in G20 countries, sharing best practices, pooling resources, and expertise. Investing in innovative technologies and strategies, such as rapid diagnostics and phage therapy, can significantly bolster the global fight against AMR. A systems thinking approach that acknowledges the interconnectedness of multiple factors, and a one-health approach that recognizes the health of humans, animals, and the environment are imperative.

In conclusion, the fight against AMR demands the adoption of critical strategies, including improving prescribing practices, increasing awareness, surveillance and monitoring, supporting research and development of new antibiotics, and recognizing the interconnectedness of the health of humans, animals, and the environment. Collaboration between the G20 and IBSA, along with multisectoral and multidisciplinary responses, is the need of the hour to mitigate the problem of AMR and ensure the efficacy of antibiotics in treating bacterial infections in the future. The world must come together to combat this looming threat, for the health of our planet and all its inhabitants.