The Senior Officials’ Meeting under India’s BRICS Chairship was held in Chandigarh as part of the ongoing BRICS Health Ministerial Meeting, with discussions centred on strengthening collaboration among member countries to address public health challenges and finalising the BRICS Health Ministers’ Declaration.
The meeting was inaugurated by Punya Salila Srivastava, Union Health Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, who welcomed delegates and highlighted the importance of collaboration among BRICS nations to address public health challenges through cooperation, innovation and equitable access to healthcare.
In her inaugural address, the Union Health Secretary stated that Chandigarh’s focus on innovation, sustainability and development reflects India’s BRICS Chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.” She said the theme assumes greater significance in the evolving global health landscape, where interconnected health challenges require stronger collaboration and collective action.
Referring to the expanded BRICS grouping, Srivastava said the bloc represents a significant share of the world’s population, scientific expertise and manufacturing capacity, creating opportunities to shape global health through innovation and consensus-driven solutions. She added that India has identified nine priority areas under the BRICS Health Track to strengthen resilient, equitable and inclusive health systems.
According to the Union Health Secretary, the priority areas include strengthening health infrastructure; enhancing preparedness for future health emergencies through surveillance systems and laboratory networks; leveraging digital health technologies; integrating traditional medicine into healthcare systems; strengthening regulatory frameworks; developing a skilled health workforce; promoting collaborative research and development; and ensuring timely, affordable and equitable access to healthcare services, essential medicines and medical products.
She also highlighted India’s flagship initiatives under the BRICS Health Track, including the BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyle and the proposed BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence for Mental Health. According to her, these initiatives reinforce the commitment of BRICS countries towards preventive and promotive healthcare, specialised care, knowledge sharing and cooperation in addressing public health challenges.
Referring to the draft BRICS Health Ministers’ Declaration, Srivastava said the document reflects the outcome of technical consultations among member states. She expressed confidence that the deliberations during the Senior Officials’ Meeting would help build consensus on the remaining provisions of the declaration ahead of its adoption at the 16th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting.
The Union Health Secretary also highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation in nuclear medicine and supporting the activities of the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre to advance collaborative research, innovation and global health security.
During the event, Srivastava inaugurated exhibition pavilions set up by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the National Health Authority (NHA) and the Ministry of AYUSH. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the pavilions showcased India’s initiatives in food safety, digital health, traditional systems of medicine and integrated healthcare delivery.
The deliberations during the Senior Officials’ Meeting focused on finalising the BRICS Health Ministerial Declaration. Senior officials held discussions on the priority areas under the BRICS Health Track and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in addressing public health challenges.
The discussions covered strengthening primary healthcare, advancing Universal Health Coverage, promoting digital health and health innovation, enhancing preparedness and response to public health emergencies, addressing antimicrobial resistance, strengthening pharmaceutical cooperation, improving access to quality and affordable medical products, and fostering collaboration in traditional medicine and health research.
Participating countries also reiterated the importance of collaborative research, knowledge sharing, capacity building and technology exchange to strengthen health systems and emphasised the need for multilateral cooperation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals related to health.