Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan Inaugurated the two-day webinar on Covid-19 at BITS Pilani
03 October 2020
3 Oct Pilani – Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Chairman of WHO Executive Board, Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the two-day webinar “Battling COVID-19: Challenges & Opportunities in Healthcare and Bio-Pharma Sector.” Speaking on the webinar organized by BITS Pilani, union minister reaffirmed the participants that whenever the civilization faces such crisis, human ingenuity always find its way even in the darkest of times. Our resolute optimism and enterprising nature holds the key to overcome the pandemic, he added. He appealed that the onus to lead this change falls on the capable shoulders of the health and biopharma sector. Deliberating on the crisis, Dr Harsh Vardhan appreciated the efforts of BITS Pilani in organizing such a timely webinar on the most pressing matter today. He further urged participants to take this opportunity, utilize it to the fullest for the betterment of the nation and global community, and further reinforce Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call of making “Atmanirbhar Bharat” by 2022.
Professor Souvik Bhattacharyya, Vice-Chancellor, BITS Pilani welcomed the Chief Guest Dr. Harsh Vardhan and other dignitaries joining across the pharma industry for their valuable presence and deliberations. He apprised the gathering about BITS Pilani’s legacy and stated that our entrepreneurial spirit will lead to innovations and provide affordable healthcare for all citizens of country. While presenting the webinar’s objectives, Professor Sudhirkumar Barai, Director, BITS Pilani, stated that the participating stalwarts from the pharma industry will show us the new directions, elevate the quality of life and provide affordable healthcare solutions for all citizens of India.
The guests of honor included Dr. V.G Somani (Drugs Controller General, India), Dr. Jai Prakash (Secretary- cum Scientific-Director, Incharge - Indian Pharmacopoeia commission), and Dr. Anurag Agarwal (Director, Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology), who addressed the participants with their valuable keynote speeches.
Dr. V. G Somani updated about the progress the nation has made during the COVID-19 pandemic, he also talked about the vaccine's development progress and the challenges of COVID-19. Dr. Jai Prakash briefed the functioning of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission and contributions of Indian Pharmacopeia in the Nation’s Pharma sector. Dr. Anurag Agarwal discussed the progress and challenges of COVID-19 test kits to the audiences. He also addressed and appreciated the rapid expansion and progress of the public healthcare system against the surprise pandemic in such a short period.
Several experts from national and international health & pharma sectors will grace their presence in the webinar including Dr. Mark J Stevans (Partner, Lifesciences GUIDEHOUSE) Dr. C.K Katiyar (CEO Healthcare Technical Emami Ltd.), Dr. Suneet Shukla (Senior Pharmacologist USFDA), Dr. Vibhav Garg (Director-Health Economics & Govt Affairs India HUB & ASEAN at Boston Scientific), Mr. Vijay Simha (Entrepreneur & Angel Investor), Mr. K.S Babu (Head Regulatory Affairs, Pfizer Healthcare), Mr. K Chandrashekhar (Founder & CEO, Forushealth), Mr. Vaibhav Singh (Co-Founder, Visit) and Mr. Sridhar Ramanathan. They are expected to share their knowledge, key findings & experiences on challenges & opportunities posed by COVID-19 in the health and pharma sector during their addresses to the participants.
The key organizers of the virtual seminar, Dr. Satyendra Kumar Sharma and Dr. Sunil Kumar Dubey stated that this event would bring the best of health & industry experts on a single platform clearly envisaging their plans to combat the crisis and create a health eco system supporting every Indian citizen. The webinar is geared towards the students, faculty, research scholars, and budding innovators and entrepreneurs.