India is at a crucial juncture in its engagement with global health frameworks, as growing concerns about the World Health Organization’s (WHO) increasing reliance on major donors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies take center stage.
With nations such as the United States and Russia distancing themselves from the WHO, India is re-evaluating its position. Critics argue that the WHO’s policies, shaped by external interests, are no longer aligned with the unique health needs of diverse countries like India. This is especially apparent in tobacco control, where global frameworks fail to address India’s significant population of smokeless tobacco users.
India has consistently charted its own course in public health, from the HIV/AIDS crisis to the CoWIN platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, global health policies, like the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), have not achieved the desired outcomes in India. The country’s local solutions are being overlooked in favor of a one-size-fits-all approach.
