The 14th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting was held in Moscow. The event is part of the calendar of Russia’s presidency in the group. According to the official website of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, representatives of the ministries discussed global issues such as ensuring universal access to medical care, preventing the threat of pandemics, combating tuberculosis and antimicrobial resistance. The agenda also included promising areas of medical development, including nuclear medicine. The Parties noted a number of successes in the field of cooperation within the framework of the association, in particular, the establishment of the BRICS Medical Association, the BRICS Early Warning System for Mass Infectious Diseases, the BRICS Vaccine Centre and the BRICS Medical Journal. According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, during the presidency Moscow pays special attention to the protection of health and ensuring the well-being of citizens.

“In recent years, the health sector has proved to be one of the most productive and meaningful areas of BRICS cooperation”

Sergey Ryabkov
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister

In his turn, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko drew attention to the effectiveness of the work of the BRICS states on solving common problems. “We always find an opportunity to meet each other, jointly search for new answers, develop cooperation in different directions. The ministerial meeting is the best confirmation of the BRICS countries’ endeavour to ensure the right of every person to a decent level of physical and mental health”

Mikhail Murashko
Russian Health Minister

According to South African Health Minister Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi cooperation between the BRICS members is in the interests not only of the population of these countries, but also of the entire humanity. “The role of BRICS on the world stage cannot be ignored. We are working to solve global problems in the field of medicine. The members of the association have made significant progress in modernising national health care systems,” the head of the ministry said.

At the same time, Carlos Augusto Grabois Gadelha, Secretary of Science, Technology, Innovation of the Ministry of Health of Brazil, noted the critical importance of addressing the problem of inequality of access to medical services. “BRICS will play a fundamental role in building the global health architecture. At the heart of our work is the fight against inequality in all its manifestations. Science and technology should be one of the main tools to overcome it,” said the representative of the Latin American country.

To confront global medical challenges, China is ready to share its achievements in the field of vaccine development. This was announced by Liu Jingfeng, Vice-Minister and deputy secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the National Health Commission of China.

“China is cooperating with Brazil, South Africa, UAE and Saudi Arabia in conducting clinical trials and producing vaccines against COVID-19. We welcome new partners to join the project,” the Vice-Minister said.

A declaration was adopted at the end of the meeting. It is expected that the provisions of the document will be discussed by the BRICS leaders at the summit in Kazan on 22-24 October.

Photo: Roscongress Foundation