New Delhi, Apr 15 (PTI) The Union Ministry of Health on Wednesday chaired the first Health Working Group Meeting under the BRICS framework for 2026 here.
The meeting, held virtually, brought together senior health officials, technical experts, and delegates from BRICS member countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia — to deliberate on priority areas of cooperation in public health, a health ministry statement said.
As the BRICS Chair for 2026, India is guided by the overarching theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, reflecting a people-centric and humanity-first approach articulated by the prime minister at the 2025 Rio Summit. The theme underscores India’s commitment to strengthening collaborative frameworks that are responsive, inclusive, and future-ready, the statement said.
In her opening remarks, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava welcomed all BRICS member nations and highlighted the significance of the Health Working Group (HWG) as a key platform for advancing cooperation in public health.
She noted that the HWG meetings in recent years have paved the way for collaboration on pressing health challenges, including communicable and non-communicable diseases, for strengthening of health systems, and improving access to affordable medicines.
These efforts have further strengthened cooperation in pandemic preparedness, health technology innovation, and the promotion of universal health coverage, she stated.
Emphasising India’s priorities under its 2026 chairship, Srivastava said the HWG aims to foster inclusive, sustainable, and evidence-driven health cooperation, while recognising the diversity of health systems and socio-economic contexts of BRICS nations.
She underlined the importance of adaptability, mutual learning, and leveraging collective expertise to design scalable and impactful health interventions.
The secretary also highlighted that successive BRICS Health Ministers’ Meetings and Declarations have consistently underscored the importance of sharing best practices, strengthening health infrastructure, and building resilient healthcare systems capable of responding effectively to public health emergencies.
She stressed the need for enhanced cooperation in joint research and development, equitable access to vaccines and medicines, and capacity-building initiatives.
While reaffirming commitment to existing priorities, Srivastava proposed two new priority areas under India’s chairship — BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyles and Promotion of Mental Health and Wellness.
The BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyles is aimed at promoting healthy behaviours and addressing key risk factors such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and harmful use of alcohol.
Promotion of Mental Health and Wellness, focusses on strengthening mental health services, addressing stigma, and integrating mental health into broader public health frameworks, the statement said.
She also highlighted India’s emphasis on evidence-based traditional medicine, rooted in biodiversity and indigenous knowledge systems, as a valuable contributor to universal health coverage and sustainable development, and called for enhanced international cooperation in this domain.
Reiterating the importance of multilateralism and partnership, the Union health secretary expressed confidence that the deliberations under the Health Track would strengthen cooperation and deepen mutual understanding among BRICS nations.
She encouraged all delegations to actively engage and contribute towards translating shared commitments into tangible outcomes for global health. PTI PLB ARB ARB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.