India supports open-source drug development for encouraging the global health agenda for universal access to affordable medicines and health commodities of assured quality. It also supports the view that involvement and priority setting for this purpose should be driven by public health needs of the developing countries.

“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,” said the Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The high representatives on national security and health ministers from five emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – which form the group BRICS met in two separate meeting and concluded their deliberations here on Friday.

The deliberations of these two meetings will fit into the agenda of the BRICS Summit slated in Durban in South Africa in March this year. Several issue based ad hoc committees would be set up in consultations with Sherpas. The concept of a BRICS Bank for Infrastructure Development will be discussed at the Durban Summit.

India’s National Security Adviser, Shiv Shankar Menon who represented the country in the BRICS High Representatives on National Security said that the meeting discussed important global and regional developments, including the situations in West Asia and North Africa with particular references to Syria, Libya and Male.

BRICS agreed to cooperate in ensuring cyber security, combating terrorism, maritime piracy and other such threats to international security.

He termed the discussions as “constructive, positive, forward looking” with “a high level of congruence.”

On Syria the BRICS was of the view that “it is for the Syrian people to choose their future; the international community can only be a facilitator. The BRICS representatives expressed concern over the deteriorating situation, increase in violence, rise of extremist and terrorist forces in the region.

This was the first standalone meeting of BRICS High Representatives on National Security in response to the declarations of the Delhi Summit Meeting in March 2012.

However the BRICS High Representatives on National Security had actually been meeting since 2009. The first such meeting of the group of then four countries was to prepare the Yekaterinburg summit – the first Summit of BRIC leaders. Thereafter the BRICS High Representatives on National Security met at the sidelines of Sanya Summit and also at the margins of other Summits and in Brazil as well.

Brazil’s Secretary for Strategic Actions Ricardo Paes de Barros, Russia’s Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai P Patrushev, India’s National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, China’s State Councilor Dai Bingguo and South Africa’s Minister of State Security Siyabonga C. Cwele participated in the deliberations alongwith their country delegations.

The 2nd BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting which concluded here on Friday witnessed the participation of Minister of Health, Brazil RS. Padilha, Deputy Minister of Health, Russia Sergey Velmyaykin, Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Health, China Chen Zhu, Minister of Health, South Africa Dr Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi, Executive Director, UNAIDS Michael Sidibe and Regional Director, WHO-SEARO Dr S. Plianbangchang.

“We have included the topics such as CEWG Recommendations and WHO Reforms in the agenda since they are quite relevant today, to a collaborative health R&D as well as to resource allocation and priority setting, budgeting and financing etc. India supports open-source drug development for encouraging the global health agenda for universal access to affordable medicines and health commodities of assured quality. We also support the view that involvement and priority setting for this purpose should be driven by public health needs of the developing countries,” said the Indian Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, PK Pradhan.

“We are aware that the BRICS countries have several unique strengths such as the capacity for manufacturing affordable health products and research in some cutting edge areas,” he said.

“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,” said the Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad.

This was the 2nd BRICS Health Ministers Meeting.

The first BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting was held at Beijing, China on 11th July, 2011 following a decision taken by Heads of BRICS countries in the Sanya Declaration of 14th April 2011.

The Beijing Declaration of the first BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting emphasized the importance and the need of technology transfer as a means to empower developing countries; the importance role of generic medicines in the realisation of the right to health; and to establish priorities in research and development as well as cooperation among BRICS countries including support to transfer of technologies and innovation in a sustainable way to foster cooperation among BRICS countries to make available and improve technology. It was also agreed at Beijing to establish at technical working group to discuss specific proposals.

In the Delhi Declaration issued during the 4th BRICS Heads of States Meeting, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, held at New Delhi on 29th March, 2012, it was urged that meetings of BRICS Health Ministers be held in an institutionalized manner so that the countries of BRICS could jointly address common goals such as promoting innovation and universal access to health technologies including medicines, especially in the context of increasing costs and the growing burden of both communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and to encourage flow of knowledge amongst research institutions through joint projects, workshops and exchange of visits, particularly by young scientists in areas relating to pharmaceuticals and health.

Thereafter, during the sidelines of World Health Assembly held at Geneva, Health Ministers of BRICS countries met on 22.5.2012 and discussed various issues. During the meeting it was decided that some thematic areas of work under BRICS Health Platform be identified for each country to be carried forward by the Technical Group. A joint communiqué was issued after the meeting.