Azad to attend BRICS health ministers’ meet

New Delhi – Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad will attend the third BRICS health ministers meet Nov 6-7 in South Africa, focussing on strengthening health surveillance systems.

Health ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) will deliberate on the issues focussing on strengthening health surveillance systems and reducing non-communicable disease risk factors through prevention and health promotion.

Other areas of discussion include universal health coverage, strategic health technologies with a focus on communicable and non-communicable diseases; medical technologies as well as drug discovery and development.

“These thematic areas of work were identified in respect of each country on the sidelines of World Health Assembly (WHA) held at Geneva last year,” said a health ministry official.

The first BRICS health ministers meet was held at Beijing, China in 2011.

India hosted the second meet in January this year in New Delhi.