India-Brazil to strengthen cooperation in health sector

Union minister for health and family welfare Anbumani Ramadoss has called for strengthening of cooperation in the field of health between India and Brazil. A 20-strong ministerial delegation is currently visiting India

Emphasising the need for cooperation in the field of research, Ramadoss said, ''We need to develop, in association with WHO, the capacities of other developing countries in legislating and implementing their intellectual property right regimes in a manner that would maximize public health gains.''

Ramadoss outlined three areas for close cooperation among the two countries, first, get value from the countries' research and development efforts, second, to bring about lifestyle changes through traditional medicine system of Ayurveda and Yoga and finally cooperation in the areas of biotechnology and pharmaceutical products.

In this context, Dr. Ramadoss stressed the need for harmonisation of standards in the area of pharmaceutical.

He emphasised bilateral cooperation between India and Brazil and South – South Cooperation particularly in the context of several commonalities between the two countries. He observed that both the countries can have cooperation in various areas in the health sector - chronic diseases, alcohol, cardio-vascular diseases, tobacco control, bio-technology, neglected diseases, organ transplant, etc.

Dr Ramadoss recalled the implementing arrangement signed in 1998 in the field of health and medicine which envisages cooperation in the areas of biotechnology, health and pharmaceutical products, epidemiology, management of public health system, traditional medicines, infectious diseases and parasitology, maternal and child health care and family planning and tropical medicines etc. He hoped that the counterpart agencies from both countries will be able to identify specific areas of cooperation under the MOU and work together in these areas.