The 12th BRICS (which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Health Ministers’ Meeting was hosted online on May 10 by China, the rotating chair of the BRICS this year.
Ma Xiaowei, Minister of China’s National Health Commission (NHC), attended the meeting and delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.
Representatives from BRICS countries had in-depth exchanges on topics such as COVID-19 prevention and control, health system construction, and digital health. The meeting participants agreed to kickstart work related to an early warning system for major infectious diseases, and adopted a joint declaration.
“The BRICS countries unite over 40% of the world’s population, and the potential of our scientific community is at the highest level. Thus, the first vaccines against COVID-19 were developed and tested in the BRICS space,” said the Minister of Health of Russia M.Murashko.
“We are glad that colleagues from the BRICS countries also share confidence in the quality of medical training in Russia and send students to us for training. According to data for 2021, 10.5 thousand students from the BRICS countries study in Russian medical universities (240 students from Brazil; 9.5 thousand students from India; 450 Chinese students; 270 students from South Africa),” added Minister Murashko.
Mikhail Murashko proposed to create a BRICS Medical Association and to launch an international scientific journal of BRICS countries, which would allow the medical community to quickly and freely share their achievements in the field of vaccine development.
To join the efforts of the BRICS countries in the fight against COVID-19, Russia initiated a joint Integrated System for Early Warning of the Risks of Mass Infectious Diseases in 2020, when Russia chaired the organization. Upon two years into the pandemic, it was suggested to intensify country efforts in adopting this integrated system.
It was also reminded that this year BRICS Ministers of Health launched a platform for research, development and marketing of immunobiological products — the BRICS Center for Research and Development of Vaccines.
More than 70 people, including health ministers of the BRICS nations and the Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organization, attended the meeting.
As a result of the meeting, the Final Declaration of Ministers was adopted.
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Sources, photo and additional information: National Health Commission of China; Ministry of Health, Russian Federation.
