PHM-Exch> Communique of the Second BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting: EQUINET comment

[Claudio Schuftan]

AN EMERGING VOICE FOR HEALTH EQUITY? COMMUNIQUE OF THE SECOND BRICS HEALTH
MINISTERS’ MEETING
Editor

 In this issue we provide a link to the full communique of the Second BRICS
Health Ministers’ Meeting held in January 2013. How far does this emerging
concerted voice provide new impetus for the social justice needed for
equity in health? While the familiar commitments are included to reducing
major disease burdens, there are also welcome signs in the communique of
attention to dealing upstream with the "risk" environments for health, of
assessing the impact on health "of all public policies at national and
international levels" and of commitment to "community empowerment". Equally
the communique refers to a commitment to implementing measures for
technology transfer and co-operation across low and middle income
countries, such as for ensuring production and access to generic medicines
as part of realising the right to health. The communique was less clear on
two aspects: the active role of the 43% of the world’s population living in
BRICS countries in realising these commitments, and the regional solidarity
and integration needed in each of their regions to ensure to benefit to the
weaker economies of their regions.

DELHI COMMUNIQUE OF THE SECOND BRICS HEALTH MINISTERS’ MEETING
Ministers Of Health Of The Federative Republic Of Brazil, The Russian
Federation, India, People’s Republic Of China And Republic Of South Africa,
New Delhi, 11 January 2013

 The ministers statement is drawn from the Government of India communique
on the BRICS Health Ministers meeting at
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=91533. Please send feedback
or queries on the issues raised in this briefing to the EQUINET
secretariat: admin at equinetafrica.org
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