Senior Officials’ Meeting held in Chandigarh under India’s BRICS Health Ministerial Meeting Chairship
BRICS health officials in Chandigarh advanced a draft declaration on health cooperation, digital health, traditional medicine, and equitable access to healthcare
- India described the BRICS Health Track as a framework for resilient, equitable, and inclusive health systems.
- Senior officials worked to build consensus on the remaining provisions of the draft BRICS Health Ministers' Declaration before ministerial adoption.
- BRICS health cooperation in the Chandigarh meeting covered primary healthcare, digital health, public-health emergency preparedness, antimicrobial resistance, pharmaceutical cooperation, and traditional medicine.
What happened
Senior officials of BRICS met in Chandigarh under India’s BRICS Health Ministerial Meeting chairship to negotiate the draft BRICS Health Ministers' Declaration. The meeting was opened by Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, who said India wants BRICS cooperation to address global public health challenges through innovation, shared responsibility, and equitable access to healthcare.
India said the BRICS Health Track has nine priority areas. These include stronger health infrastructure, better preparedness for health emergencies, surveillance systems, laboratory networks, digital health, traditional medicine, regulatory frameworks, health workforce development, collaborative research and development, and affordable access to healthcare services, medicines, and medical products.
Relevant for GS2: International relations: BRICS, multilateral cooperation, and India’s role in global health governance, GS2: Governance and social justice: public health systems, Universal Health Coverage, and access to healthcare, GS3: Science and technology: digital health, surveillance systems, laboratory networks, and health innovation, GS3: Biotechnology and health security: vaccine research, antimicrobial resistance, and pharmaceutical cooperation. Senior officials from BRICS met in Chandigarh under India’s BRICS Health Ministerial Meeting chairship to finalise a draft health declaration. India highlighted nine Health Track priorities, including health-system resilience, surveillance, digital health, traditional medicine, pharmaceutical cooperation, and equitable access to medicines and medical products.
Related dispatches
