Health ministers from the Group of Seven major countries said Sunday that they will strengthen cooperation to ensure the rapid supply of vaccines and drugs based on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The G7 ministers adopted a joint statement to wrap up their two-day meeting in the city of Nagasaki. It called for an international framework to deal with future public health crises.
"We agreed that each country will work promptly to build a system to improve access to pharmaceutical products," Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato, who chaired the Nagasaki meeting, told a news conference.
"We will work out details before the upcoming G7 summit in Hiroshima to lay a foundation for international cooperation," Kato added.
The joint statement noted that there were gaps in the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs between developed and developing countries. It called for helping middle- and low-income countries to ensure the rapid and equitable distribution of pharmaceutical goods.
The statement stressed that sustainable funding is very important for better responses to infectious diseases. It urged all countries including the G7 members to strengthen fiscal and technical support for the World Health Organization's Pandemic Fund launched last year.
Meanwhile, the G7 ministers drew up an eight-point action plan to realize universal health coverage, which means that all people have access to health and medical services, by 2030.