Paperman Media (New Delhi)- The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, chaired the First Health Working Group (HWG) Meeting under the BRICS framework for the year 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 Hon’ble Prime Minister at the 2025 Rio Summit. The theme underscores India’s commitment to strengthening collaborative frameworks that are responsive, inclusive, and future-ready.
In her opening remarks, the Union Health Secretary Smt. 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.
