First State/UTs Engagement Workshop Under the National One Health Mission

General Studies Paper-2

Context: The first State and Union Territory Engagement Workshop under National One Health Mission (NOHM) was conducted, charting a collaborative path forward for strengthening India’s integrated One Health approach.

About

• The workshop was chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) bringing together a diverse array of stakeholders.
• Key Highlights:
  • The workshop underscored syndromic surveillance and mock drills like Vishanu Yuddh Abhyaas for preparedness.
  • Gujarat and Kerala, nominated to the mission’s governance committee, presented their progress in building One Health infrastructure.
  • The launch of a Youth Engagement Program to harness the energy and innovation of the country’s youth through hackathons and digital campaigns.
  • One Health Dashboard: A central dashboard was launched to monitor and map state and central initiatives.

What is the One Health Approach?

• One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems.
• It recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent.

National One Health Mission

• The National One Health Mission (NOHM) exemplifies the Government of India’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge science in real-world settings to anticipate and mitigate public health risks.
• The key pillars of the NOHM are:
  • Technology enabled integrated surveillance across sectors.
  • National network of Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratories (for testing high-risk or unknown pathogens).
  • Collaborative and integrated R&D for medical countermeasures including vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for human-animal-wildlife-livestock health.
  • Data integration across sectors.
  • Training and capacity building in all spheres related to One Health.

Challenges in Operationalizing One Health

• Intersectoral Coordination: Fragmented institutional silos between human, animal, and environmental health bodies.
• Lack of Trained Workforce: Shortage of epidemiologists, zoonotic disease experts, and data scientists at the district level.
• Infrastructural Disparities: States vary in surveillance capabilities and digital health integration.
• Data Privacy & Sharing: Ensuring secure and effective real-time data flow between sectors remains a concern.

Way Ahead

• Decentralised Planning: States should localize the One Health model based on regional risks (e.g., zoonotic hotspots).
• Institutional Mechanisms: Permanent state-level One Health Cells and convergence with existing bodies like State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs).
• Public Awareness: Leverage campaigns and youth engagement to increase awareness of One Health.
• The states/UT’s should consider creating their own One Health dashboards and websites and link it with the central dashboard/website.