New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) Several cancer care experts from BIMSTEC member countries have gathered in India as part of an initiative that seeks to boost capacity building in the region for enhancing healthcare, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organisation that was established in 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.
“This initiative, in line with India’s Neighborhood First, Act East and MAHASAGAR policies, will strengthen health cooperation further among the BIMSTEC countries,” the MEA said on Tuesday.
Stepping forward to strengthen cooperation in the Bay of Bengal region, the second phase of the specialised capacity building programme in cancer care was inaugurated on Tuesday at Tata Memorial Centre’s Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre in Vishakhapatnam, it said in a statement.
“The four-week long training programme is focused on the critical domains of cancer care in onco-pathology, onco-nursing, palliative medicine, preventive oncology and radiation oncology, and includes advanced hands-on workshops on cutting-edge diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. A total of 35 cancer care experts from BIMSTEC countries are participating in the programme,” the MEA said.
Initially known as BIST-EC (Bangladesh-India-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation), the organisation is now known as BIMSTEC and comprises seven Member States, with the admission of Myanmar later in 1997 and Bhutan and Nepal in 2004.
This initiative by the MEA towards capacity building in the region, with Indian expertise in critical areas of healthcare, was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 6th BIMSTEC Summit held in April in Bangkok. PTI KND KSS KSS
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