India: Union health secretary acknowledges need for enhanced BRICS collaboration to advance digital solutions at 77th World Health Assembly

At the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva, union health secretary Shri Apurva Chandra addressed BRICS (an alliance of major developing countries) Health Ministers to acknowledge the need for enhanced BRICS collaboration on a range of issues, including nuclear medicine, the radio-pharmaceutical supply chain, and the “development and commercialisation of advanced digital solutions”.

The secretary spoke of India’s “active engagement” with BRICS health track initiatives, “promoting collaborative endeavours to advance joint health agendas aimed at fortifying health systems across BRICS nations, thereby addressing critical global health challenges”, and of the need to develop a BRICS integrated early warning system for infectious risks.

The speech follows the virtual launch of the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre during India’s presidency, and Chandra spoke of the need to enhance collaboration on a wide range of global health challenges, including BRICS vaccine and R&D activities.

The secretary commented on the alignment of India’s outlook with the BRICS nations, adding: “India’s national action plan on AMR, launched in 2017, focuses on cross-sectoral collaboration and One Health approach, and is in alignment with the objectives outlined in the WHO’s Global Action Plan. India recognizes AMR as a global concern and advocates for fostering collaboration among BRICS nations to devise and execute protocols, projects and platforms aimed at addressing AMR through comprehensive measures such as data analysis, laboratory quality control, epidemiological assessment, and training initiatives.”

Finally, Chandra commented on the importance of advancing BRICS collaboration on nuclear medicine and radio-pharmaceutical science, emphasising “fostering the development and commercialisation of advanced digital solutions”.

To learn more, or to read more of Chandra’s speech, please click here.

In other news from India, Peerless Hospital, Kolkata, has announced the launch of “humanoid robotics” for joint replacement surgery, posting a video explaining what the innovation will mean for patients requiring this type of surgery in the future.