Prof. (Dr) Atul Goel, Director-General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare chaired a meeting with more than 27 major health professional bodies of India The primary agenda of the meeting was to advance the Ministry's initiatives on health promotion i.e., promotion of healthy diet, physical activity and to address key risk factors of non-communicable diseases such as tobacco & alcohol. The concept of Healthy Medical/dental College Campus initiative was discussed with the participants wherein it was envisaged for propagating a culture of Health and Well-being in all medical and dental institutions across the country.

Dr. Atul Goel emphasized on investing healthcare resources more towards prevention of diseases rather than “only” focusing on diagnostic and therapeutic options. The participants also engaged in discussions on strategies to promote health, prevent diseases, also agreed to adopt a Declaration of Health Promotion and take possible measures to espouse the concept of Health Promotion.

All professional bodies unanimously commended the efforts and recommendations of the MoHFW and acknowledged the critical importance of a collaborative approach to health promotion and agreed to adopt a Declaration of Health Promotion and take possible measures to espouse the concept of Health Promotion.

Health Professional Bodies that participated in the meeting included the National Medical Commission (NMC), World Health Organization (WHO), Indian Medical Association (IMA), Association of Physicians of India (API), Cardiology Society of India (CSI), Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM), Indian Public Health Association (IPHA), MeDeVision, Trained Nursing Association of India (TNAI), Indian Orthopedic Association (IOA), Indian Society of Oncology (ISO), Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry (IAPHD), Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons of India (AOMSI), National Medicos Organization (NMO) among others.