MNS:- BRICS Platform will contribute in the global effort towards strengthening health systems particularly in the public sector through specific actionable plans of collaboration. BRICS countries should continue to play an important role in ensuring that any international, bilateral and regional trade agreements do not undermine TRIPS flexibilities in favour of public health concerns. Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad said this at New Delhi today.
Addressing the BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting, Shri Azad said India is privileged to host the 2nd BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting at New Delhi. We are delighted to continue the good work started on the historic occasion in Beijing on 11 July 2011 which marked the coming together of health leaders from four different continents on a common platform. Despite diverse geographical and climatic backgrounds, we share the same challenges in the domain of public health. BRICS countries represent about 43% of the world’s population. Our joining hands will give a collective expression to global public health aspirations and this Platform will lead to better health not only for our peoples, but also for the world at large.
During BRICS Health Ministers Meeting in Beijing in July 2011, we had made a commitment to collaborate to advance access to public health services and deliver more cost-effective, equitable and sustainable solutions for common health challenges. Consistent with our commitment as well as the mandate of the Fourth BRICS Summit, voiced in the “Delhi Declaration” adopted on March 29, 2012, the representatives of the BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa met on the sidelines of 65th World Health Assembly at Geneva on 22 May, 2012 and decided to identify specific areas of work and a collaborative action plan under the BRICS health platform for each country. Although we have been able to make significant progress in providing better health facilities to our peoples, we recognize that much more still needs to be done.
He said India with its size, population, geo-climatic and socio-economic diversities presents a great public health challenge. We have an urban India and a huge rural India with ever increasing demands for provision of healthcare services. In India, health is a State subject, not a Federal subject. Yet the Federal Government stepped in to help the State Governments to meet the demands of healthcare services in the remotest corners by launching the National Rural Health Mission in 2005-06. Since the launch of the Mission, additional funds to the tune of over 13 billion USD have been provided to 35 States and Union Territories of the country. In terms of Health Infrastructure, over 43,500 new construction and up-gradation works of health facilities have been taken up and nearly 70,000 additional beds have been added in government health institutions for provision of essential and emergency services. During this period, in addition to the existing health workforce, nearly one hundred and sixty thousand health personnel including Specialists, Doctors, Nurses and Para-medics, and appointed over eight hundred and sixty thousand Community Health Workers in villages to act as a bridge between the communities and the health facilities.
The referral transport and out-reach services have been improved through over 18,000 Mobile Medical Units and Ambulances. A Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS) has been put in place to make sure that we are able to reach out to every pregnant woman and child.. We have earned international accolades for our efforts at containing Polio. On 13 January, 2013, India will complete two years without a single case of wild polio-virus.
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