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Health ministers and officials of the BRICS countries [HT Media Ltd]
Azad said: “despite diverse geographical and climatic backgrounds, we share the same challenges in the domain of public health”.
“BRICS countries represent about 43 per cent of the world’s population. Our joining hands will give a collective expression to global public health aspirations and this platform will lead to better health not only for our peoples, but also for the world at large,” he said.
He was addressing the second meeting of health ministers and officials of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“The initiative of South Africa in forming a health commission to comprehensively deal with the risk factors by involving all relevant stakeholders is a welcome step,” said the Indian Health Minister.
The two-day meeting discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in manufacturing affordable health products and developing advanced health technologies.
The meeting resulted in the adoption of Delhi communique, which is about concrete plans on issues like integrated management of non-communicable prevention, coordination and financing of research and development for medical products, strengthening health surveillance and drug discovery and development.
Acknowledging this meeting to be a step forward, Azad stressed on adopting technological co-operation to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs), improving universal access to healthcare and affordable medicines.
“Together we can significantly control NCDs through concerted action,” Azad said, and cited the example of the comprehensive NCD surveillance system in Brazil.
Source: Agencies
