partnerships for both sides to
collaborate?
Under the MoU, there are extensive
collaborations
between
public
authorities and universities from
both countries. For instance, the
Swedish Public Health Agency,
Medical Product Agency and Forte
(the Swedish Research Council on
Health, Working Life and Welfare)
have ongoing collaboration with
their Indian counterparts. There are
ongoing discussions on extending
collaborations with new players like
our National Board of Health and
Welfare and E-Health Authority
as well as between our medical
universities such as Karolinska
Institute, Uppsala University and the
different AIIMS.
Through these collaborations, we
hope to demonstrate best practices
and technologies. We have research
calls in different areas for example
with EU in big data and artificial
intelligence for monitoring health
status and quality of life after cancer
treatment, under JPIAMR call on
diagnostics and surveillance 2019.
Innovation-the UNNATI way is
an India-Sweden Innovators for
strategic
business
development
to address global challenges. It
is industry supported initiative
coordinated by Business Sweden in
collaboration with AGNIi-Invest
India and ATAL Innovation Mission,
NITI Aayog.
Q. You have signed for skilling
nurses on infection control, wound
care and diagnostics with Govt of
Maharashtra in 2016. What is your
experience of last two years?
I believe the overall experience has
been good. Business Sweden will
however be able to provide more
information on this as they have
been coordinating this activity.
Q. Anti-Microbial Resistance is an
important issue right now. How
do you propose the Swedish Govt.
support in this area?
The Swedish Public Health Agency and
the Indian National Centre for Disease
Control have an ongoing collaboration
10
Volume 4 | Issue 1 | January-March 2019
Parliament house in Sweden
with focus on antimicrobial resistance.
Additionally, the Indian Ministry of
Health has proposed that Sweden
collaborate closely with a new-
AIIMS and its associated Health and
Wellness Centres. AIIMS-Jodhpur
has been suggested to us and we are
currently considering the scope of such
collaboration.
Q. Artificial Intelligence seems
to be a focus area for Sweden in
Health Sector? Do you see any
collaboration in this field with
Indian providers?
This is a hot topic all over the world
right now. I know India is well ahead
in AI technology while Sweden
has more long-term experience in
extracting relevant information from
vast amounts of data. Our patient
registries have enabled us to have
one of the highest cancer survival
rates in the world and that is only
one example. I believe we will see
some collaborations in the coming
year, especially as you are arranging
a delegation to Sweden addressing
this exact topic in May next year. I
will follow this progress closely.
Q. What is your message for
InnoHEALTH readers? How can we,
as a platform, support India-Swedish
collaboration?
I
congratulate
InnovatioCuris
for collaborating with Swecare
Foundation and Swedish Medtech in
facilitating innovative and promising
solutions for India. Sweden has
a long tradition of developing
innovations in healthcare. We also
have a well-functioning public
sector, together with extensive
health data registries, biobanks and
digital connectivity infrastructure,
that provides great opportunities to
develop innovative, demand-driven,
competitive solutions for healthcare.
Exciting opportunities abound in an
environment dedicated to medical
innovation, drug discovery and
pharmaceutical commercialisation.
Sweden and India have lots to share
and learn from each other!
H.E. Klas Molin has been serving as
the Ambassador of Sweden to India
since 2017. Prior to this, he served
as the Ambassador and Chief of
Protocol at the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs in Stockholm, Sweden. He also
held various positions at Ministry
for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm. He
earned his Masters of Arts in Law and
Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of
Law and Diplomacy (USA).