BRICS health ministers' meet to begin in India with focus on inclusive healthcare
India is set to convene the 16th BRICS health ministers' meeting from Wednesday, which will bring together health ministers and senior health officials from BRICS member countries to deepen cooperation on health security, digital health, pandemic preparedness and equitable access to quality healthcare.
The three-day meeting in Chandigarh reflects India's commitment, under its BRICS Chairship 2026, to advancing collective action on key global health priorities through the guiding theme of "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
According to Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, discussions will focus on strengthening cooperation in areas such as health security, pandemic preparedness, digital health, innovation, access to affordable medicines, traditional, complementary and integrative medicine, tuberculosis, healthy lifestyles, mental wellness and resilient health systems.
The meeting would provide an important platform for advancing the health priorities of the Global South through enhanced collaboration and knowledge sharing among BRICS nations, she noted.
The meeting will bring together health ministers, senior government officials and technical experts from the 11 BRICS member countries-Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Indonesia.
The event will commence with the senior officials' meeting on Wednesday, followed by the BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting on Thursday, chaired by Union Health Minister JP Nadda, according the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
On Friday, India will host a high-level side event, focusing on leveraging interoperable digital health infrastructure and responsible artificial intelligence to strengthen continuity of care and build future-ready health systems across BRICS countries.
According to an official statement, building upon the work undertaken during previous BRICS Chairships, India has retained the existing priorities while introducing two new priority areas - BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyle and Promotion of Mental Wellness, reaffirming its commitment to preventive and promotive healthcare.
