PHM-Exch> Fwd: BRICS Health Ministers Outcome Document

[Gopa Kumar]

Delhi Communique

1. The BRICS countries, represented by the Ministers of Health of the
Federative Republic of Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, People’s
Republic of China and Republic of South Africa, met in New Delhi on 11
January 2013 at the Second BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting.

2. The meeting recalled the Delhi Declaration of 29 March 2012 during the
BRICS leaders summit and the Joint Communiqué of the BRICS Health Ministers
at Geneva of 22 May 2012 including specific areas of work under the BRICS
Health Platform for each Member State, focussed on the theme “BRICS
Partnership for Global Stability, Security and Prosperity” to address
emerging health threats.

3. The Ministers recalled that BRICS is a platform for dialogue and
cooperation amongst countries representing 43% of the world’s population.
The Ministers reiterated their commitment to the Beijing Declaration of
July 2011 for strengthened collaboration in the area of access to public
health and services in BRICS States including implementation of affordable,
equitable and sustainable solutions for common health challenges. The
Ministers committed to strengthen intra-BRICS cooperation for promoting
health of the BRICS population. The BRICS Health Ministers resolved to
continue cooperation in the sphere of health through the Technical Working
Group.

4. The Ministers drew attention to the current global threat of
non-communicable diseases and noted that in 2008, around 80% of all NCD
deaths occurred in low and middle income countries. The Ministers
recognized the significant role of BRICS countries in the global process of
prevention and control of NCDs including the Moscow Declaration of April
2011, the WHA Resolution 64.11 of May 2011 and the Political Declaration of
the UN General Assembly of September 2011.The Ministers recognized the need
for more research into the social and economic determinants leading to
occurrence of non-communicable diseases, amongst the BRICS countries. They
resolved to collaborate and cooperate to promote access to comprehensive
and cost-effective prevention, treatment and care for the integrated
management of non-communicable diseases, including access to medicines and
diagnostics and other technologies.

5. The Ministers also recognized the need to combat mental disorders
through a multi-pronged approach including the World Health Assembly
Resolution 65.4, consideration of a Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan
through sharing of innovations in the field of Mental Health Promotion,
diagnosis and management, exchange of best practices and experiences
amongst BRICS countries.

6. The Ministers renewed their commitment to the WHO Framework Convention
on Tobacco Control and stressed the importance of research and study by WHO
and other stakeholders into the social and economic determinants of tobacco
use and its control.

7. The Ministers recognized that multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is a
major public health problem for the BRICS countries due to its high
prevalence and incidence mostly on the marginalized and vulnerable sections
of society. They resolved to collaborate and cooperate for development of
capacity and infrastructure to reduce the prevalence and incidence of
tuberculosis through innovation for new drugs/vaccines, diagnostics and
promotion of consortia of tuberculosis researchers to collaborate on
clinical trials of drugs and vaccines, strengthening access to affordable
medicines and delivery of quality care. The Ministers also recognized the
need to cooperate for adopting and improving systems for notification of
tuberculosis patients, availability of anti-tuberculosis drugs at
facilities by improving supplier performance, procurement systems and
logistics and management of HIV-associated tuberculosis in the primary
health care system.

8. The Ministers called for renewed efforts to face the continued challenge
posed by HIV. They committed to focus on cooperation in combating HIV/AIDS
through approaches such as innovative ways to reach out with prevention
services, efficacious drugs and diagnostics, exchange of information on
newer treatment regimens, determination of recent infections and HIV-TB
co-infections. The Ministers agreed to share experience and expertise in
the areas of surveillance, existing and new strategies to prevent the
spread of HIV, and in rapid scale up of affordable treatment. They
reiterated their commitment to ensure that bilateral and regional trade
agreements do not undermine TRIPS flexibilities so as to assure
availability of affordable generic ARV drugs to developing countries.

9. The Ministers committed to strengthen cooperation to combat malaria
through enhanced diagnostics, research and development and committed to
facilitate common access to the technologies developed or under development
in the BRICS countries.

10. The Ministers renewed their commitment for effective control of both
communicable and non-communicable diseases through cooperation in sharing
of existing resource information, development of risk assessment tools,
risk mitigation methods, referral systems, life course approaches,
community empowerment, monitoring health impact assessments of all public
policies at national and international levels.

11. Recognizing that an effective health surveillance, including injury
surveillance, is the key strategy for controlling both communicable and
non-communicable diseases, that surveillance is also the cornerstone around
which the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) is
based and further recognizing that the countries may be using different
models for surveillance based on different realities and best practices,
the Ministers committed to strengthen cooperation in the mechanisms for
planning, monitoring and evaluating disease prevention and control
activities and capacity-building for effective health surveillance systems.

12. The Ministers urged focus on the unique strength of BRICS countries
such as capacity for R & D and manufacturing of affordable health products,
and capability to conduct clinical trials. The Ministers called for
strengthened cooperation in application of bio-technology for health
benefits for the population of BRICS countries.

13. The Ministers emphasized the importance of child survival through
progressive reduction in the maternal mortality, infant mortality,
neo-natal mortality and under-5 mortality, with the aim of achieving the
Millennium Development Goals. They confirmed their commitment to a renewed
effort in this area and to enhance collaboration through exchange of best
practices.

14. The Ministers discussed the recommendations of the Consultative Expert
Working Group on Health on coordination and financing of R & D for medical
products and welcomed the proposal to establish a Global Health R&D
observatory as well as the move on holding regional consultations to set up
R&D demonstration projects. The Ministers urged that the entire process,
including priority setting, should be driven by WHO Member States and
should be based on public health needs, in particular those of developing
countries, with the cost of R & D delinked from the final products.

15. The Ministers reiterated their support to the continued discussions on
the process of reform of WHO, to better respond to global challenges in
programmatic, organizational and operational terms, including the future
financing of WHO, and welcomed the proposal to establish a financing
dialogue based on priorities collectively set by WHO Member States in a
structured and transparent process.

16. The Ministers acknowledged the value and importance of traditional
medicine and need of experience and knowledge-sharing for securing public
health needs. They urged for cooperation amongst the BRICS countries
through visits of experts, organization of symposia to encourage the use of
traditional medicine, in all spheres of health.

17. The Ministers confirmed their support for the United Nations General
Assembly Resolution on universal health coverage and committed to work
nationally, regionally and globally to ensure that universal health
coverage is achieved.

18. The Ministers recalled the Beijing Declaration of the 1st BRICS Health
Ministers’ Meeting in 2011, emphasizing the importance and need of
technology transfer as a means to empower developing countries. In this
context, they underlined the important role of generic medicines in the
realization of the right to health. The Ministers renewed their commitment
to strengthening international cooperation in health, in particular
South-South cooperation, with a view to supporting efforts in developing
countries to promote health for all and resolve to establish the BRICS
network of technological cooperation.

19. The Ministers acknowledged the need of use of ICT in Health services to
promote cost-effective treatment in the remote areas. They encouraged to
strengthen cooperation amongst the BRICS countries to share their
experiences in e-Health including tele-medicine. 20. The Ministers agreed
to cooperate in all international fora regarding matters relating to TRIPS
flexibilities with a public health perspective.

21. The Ministers agreed to establish platforms for collaboration within
BRICS framework and with other countries with a view to realizing the goals
and objectives outlined in this Declaration.

New Delhi
January 11, 2013

SKR/BN/HB
(Release ID :91533)
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