New Delhi [India], April 16 (ANI): The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday chaired the First Health Working Group (HWG) Meeting under the BRICS framework for 2026 in New Delhi.

The meeting 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.

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, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In her opening remarks, the Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava welcomed all BRICS member States and highlighted the significance of the Health Working Group as a key platform for advancing cooperation in public health.

She noted that the BRICS Health Working Group meetings in recent years have paved the way for collaboration on pressing health challenges, including communicable and non-communicable diseases, 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.

Emphasising India's priorities under its 2026 Chairship, she stated that the Health Working Group aims to foster inclusive, sustainable, and evidence-driven health cooperation, while recognising the diverse 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 further 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, the Union Health Secretary proposed two new priority areas under India's Chairship: BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyles, aimed at promoting healthy behaviours and addressing key risk factors such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and harmful use of alcohol; and Promotion of Mental Health and Wellness, focusing on strengthening mental health services, addressing stigma, and integrating mental health into broader public health frameworks.

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.

The meeting also deliberated on the nine priority areas identified under the BRICS Health Working Group, reflecting a comprehensive and collaborative approach to addressing public health challenges. These include: (i) BRICS TB Research Network; (ii) collaboration among BRICS Medical Products Regulatory Authorities; (iii) BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for prevention and response to mass infectious diseases; (iv) Digital Health Architecture for continuum of care, including specialised healthcare in remote areas; (v) BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyles; (vi) promotion of mental health and wellness; (vii) Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM); (viii) fight against diseases driven by social determinants of health (DDSDH); and (ix) BRICS Network of National Public Health Institutes.

These priority areas aim to strengthen cooperation in research, innovation, regulatory harmonisation, digital health, and equitable healthcare delivery, while reinforcing collective preparedness and resilience among BRICS nations.

Member countries welcomed India's leadership and the shared theme of building resilience through innovation, cooperation, and sustainability. Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Indonesia each expressed firm support for the new priorities of promoting healthy lifestyles and mental wellness, as well as for integrating traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine into health systems. They emphasised deepening collaboration on tuberculosis through the BRICS TB Research Network, strengthening the BRICS integrated early warning system for infectious diseases, enhancing digital health architectures to improve access (especially in remote and vulnerable communities), and advancing regulatory cooperation and local production of medicines and vaccines. Across statements, countries underlined universal health coverage, addressing socially determined diseases and broader social determinants of health, and ensuring fair access to health technologies as shared goals.

The meeting concluded with consensus on priority deliverables and a roadmap for subsequent engagements, including technical meetings and ministerial-level discussions under the BRICS Health Track 2026.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reiterated India's commitment to advancing the BRICS agenda and contributing meaningfully to global health security through partnership, innovation, and shared responsibility. (ANI)