India to hold SAARC Health Ministers’ meeting

With health challenges becoming acute in South Asia, India will host SAARC’s fifth health ministers’ meeting on April 8 and take effective measures to prevent health issues faced by their citizens. The meeting will aim at keeping a check on communicable and non-communicable diseases, disease surveillance network, health infrastructure, human resource of health HIV/AIDS, mental health and improving access to medicine and anti-biotic medicine.

The health ministers will also discuss the “Delhi Declaration” which will lay out the future roadmap for their commitment to work together in identified areas and strengthen health collaboration among them.

Prior to the health ministers’ meeting, there will be 5^th meeting of SAARC senior officials, 5^th meeting of the SAARC Technical Committee on health and population, and 7^th meeting of SAARC experts groups on HIV/AIDS during the period. Around 50 delegates from all SAARC countries comprised of experts and officials will participate in the technical and official level meeting.

The SAARC countries make up nearly a quarter of world’s population, facing several health issues and challenges. The agenda of the meeting will be to find out ways to address the cause of health hazards, and implement the best practices to provide a better health and quality of life to the citizens of SAARC countries. The meeting also signals India’s commitment to provide illness-free and better quality of life to the citizens of the SAARC nations.

Chaired by India’s Union Health and Welfare Minister J P Nadda, the meeting will bring Mr Firozuddin Feroz of Afghanistan, Mr. Zahid Maleque of Bangladesh, Mr. Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk of Bhutan, Mr. Ahmed Zuhoor of Maldives, Mr. Khaga Raj Adhikari of Nepal, Ms. Saira Afzal Tarar of Pakistan and Dr. Rajitha Senaratne of Sri Lanka.

Author Profile

India Writes Network: India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) is an emerging think tank and a media-publishing company focused on international affairs & the India Story. Centre for Global India Insights is the research arm of India Writes Network. To subscribe to India and the World, write to editor@indiawrites.org. A venture of TGII Media Private Limited, a leading media, publishing and consultancy company, IWN has carved a niche for balanced and exhaustive reporting and analysis of international affairs. Eminent personalities, politicians, diplomats, authors, strategy gurus and news-makers have contributed to India Writes Network, as also “India and the World,” a magazine focused on global affairs.