“India's G20 Presidency has provided a distinctive platform to amplify the concerns of the Global South, benefiting from its role as both the predecessor (Indonesia) and the successor (Brazil) are in the G20 Troika. This positioning would underscore and highlight the challenges faced by the Global South and would offer a valuable opportunity to address these issues at the highest level of global governance.” This was stated by Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today while virtually addressing the BRICS Health Minister’s Meeting being held in Durban, South Africa.

 

The Union Health Minister complimented South Africa’s initiatives for prioritizing the agenda of Universal Health Coverage through the theme of “Bridging the Gap on Sustainable Health on the Road to UHC 2023”. He also emphasized that South Africa’s BRICS initiative is aligned with India’s G20 priorities including on health emergency management, medical countermeasures and most specifically ‘Digital Health innovations and solutions which shall aid Universal Health Coverage and improve healthcare service delivery’. 

Dr Mandaviya said that India supported South Africa’s initiative to strengthen cooperation in the field of Integrated Early Warning systems as it shall enhance preparedness for future health crises. “The collaboration shall play a pivotal role in designing effective interventions to contain cross-border spread of infection while minimizing their impact on BRICS countries’ social and economic conditions, in accordance with International Health Regulations (2005)”, he noted.

The Union Minister also welcomed Russia’s initiative for BRICS Collaboration in Nuclear Medicine and expressed his support to constitute an International Expert Forum on Nuclear Medicines.  He stated that “collaboration in this arena shall not only encourage knowledge sharing but also enhance technological advancements in BRICS nations”.

Dr Mandaviya also reiterated India’s ongoing commitment to the BRICS TB Research Network Initiative, acknowledging the progress since its launch, and expressed that this shall strengthen our efforts in ending TB by 2030.

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya urged BRICS nations to implement the outcomes of meeting with a sense of urgency and commitment and thanked the Ministry of Health, South Africa for organizing the constructive engagement. He also expressed his best wishes to Russia for the upcoming BRICS Presidency.