BRICS health ministers adopt 16th health declaration

The 16th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting was held here on Thursday under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026, with major outcome being the unanimous adoption of the Health Ministerial Declaration, reflecting the shared commitment of BRICS countries to deepen health cooperation and strengthen resilient, equitable and people-centric health systems.

The Ministers’ meeting concluded successfully, bringing together Health Ministers, Heads of Delegation, senior officials and public health experts from BRICS member countries to strengthen cooperation in addressing shared public health priorities and advancing a resilient global health architecture.

Convened under India’s BRICS Chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” the Meeting provided a platform for member countries to deliberate on key health challenges and reaffirm their collective commitment towards strengthening health systems, promoting innovation, enhancing pandemic preparedness and advancing Universal Health Coverage through sustained cooperation.

A major outcome of the Meeting was the unanimous adoption of the 16th BRICS Health Ministerial Declaration, reflecting the shared commitment of BRICS countries to deepen health cooperation and strengthen resilient, equitable and people-centric health systems.

The declaration reaffirmed the commitment of member countries to advancing Universal Health Coverage, strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, promoting digital health, enhancing regulatory cooperation, expanding collaborative research, combating communicable and non-communicable diseases, promoting mental health and healthy lifestyles, strengthening traditional medicine, and ensuring equitable access to affordable medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and medical technologies.

As part of its BRICS chairship 2026, India is hosting the sixteenth BRICS Health Ministers’ meeting here from July 22-24. The Ministerial meeting was held on Thursday.  BRICS is a multilateral organisation comprising major emerging economies, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Health Ministers of South Africa, Indonesia, Belarus and Deputy Minister of Health, Egypt, Deputy Minister of Health, Iran and First Deputy Minister of Health, Russian Federation are among those taking part in the Ministerial meeting here on Thursday.

Addressing the 16th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting virtually, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said India has undertaken transformative reforms to strengthen its healthcare system through people-centric policies, expanded healthcare access, digital public infrastructure and enhanced service delivery’.

Nadda welcomed the Health Ministers, Heads of delegation and senior officials from BRICS member and partner countries to Chandigarh and thanked them for their continued engagement throughout India’s BRICS Chairship.

Recognising mental health as an essential pillar of Universal Health Coverage, Nadda announced the establishment of the BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence on Mental Wellness, to be coordinated by NIMHANS, as a major institutional initiative to strengthen research, promote mental well-being and narrow treatment gaps across member countries.

He also highlighted the adoption of the Operational Framework to Fight against Diseases Driven by Social Determinants of Health (DD-SDH) and the Operational Framework for the BRICS Network of National Public Health Institutes, which will provide a durable institutional framework for scientific collaboration, public health intelligence and multisectoral action to advance health equity, an official statement said.

Nadda observed that India’s experience has reinforced the belief that resilient public health systems and equitable healthcare are essential for sustainable development across nations.

Highlighting the evolution of BRICS over the past two decades, Nadda noted that the grouping has emerged as a defining voice of the Global South and an increasingly influential platform in shaping a more inclusive and equitable global order.

He observed that infectious diseases, the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, climate-related health risks and rapid technological advancements require deeper multilateral cooperation and stronger institutional partnerships.

Referring to India’s BRICS Chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” the Minister emphasized that the future of global health depends on building resilient health systems capable of anticipating and responding effectively to emerging public health challenges.

The Ministerial deliberations were centred around the nine priority areas identified under India’s BRICS Chairship, reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening health systems and addressing emerging public health challenges through cooperation and knowledge exchange.

Member countries reaffirmed their support for the BRICS TB Research Network to foster collaborative research, innovation and knowledge sharing aimed at accelerating progress towards tuberculosis elimination.

Discussions also focused on enhancing collaboration among BRICS Medical Products Regulatory Authorities to facilitate regulatory convergence, strengthen regulatory systems and improve access to safe, effective and quality-assured medical products.

Recognising the growing importance of global health security, the Ministers also supported the establishment of a dedicated Sub-Working Group on the BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for Prevention and Response to Mass Infectious Diseases and endorsed its Terms of Reference to strengthen collaboration, disease surveillance, information sharing and coordinated public health preparedness and rapid response across BRICS countries.

Delegations also discussed opportunities to strengthen Digital Health Architecture for Continuum of Care, enabling interoperable digital health ecosystems and expanding quality healthcare services to remote and underserved populations through digital public infrastructure.

Recognising mental health as an integral component of Universal Health Coverage, the Ministers supported the establishment of the BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) on Mental Wellness, with NIMHANS, India, serving as the coordinating Centre of Excellence.

Member countries also endorsed the creation of a BRICS Training Hub Network to strengthen workforce capacity through training, knowledge exchange and sharing of best practices. The Network will facilitate collaborative research, policy dialogue and the development of evidence-based mental health promotion strategies across BRICS countries.