16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting Concludes Under India's Chairship
The 16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting concluded successfully in Chandigarh on July 23, 2026, under India's BRICS Chairship with the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability." The meeting brought together Health Ministers, Heads of Delegation, senior officials, and public health experts from BRICS member countries to strengthen cooperation in addressing shared public health priorities and advancing a resilient global health architecture.
Key Outcomes and Institutional Mechanisms
A major outcome was the unanimous adoption of the 16th BRICS Health Ministerial Declaration, which establishes enduring institutional mechanisms for future cooperation. The declaration reaffirms commitment to advancing Universal Health Coverage, strengthening pandemic prevention and response, promoting digital health, enhancing regulatory cooperation, and ensuring equitable access to affordable medicines and medical technologies.
Specific Initiatives Launched
The meeting endorsed several operational frameworks including the Operational Framework to Fight against Diseases Driven by Social Determinants of Health (DD-SDH) and the Operational Framework for the BRICS Network of National Public Health Institutes. NIMHANS (India) was designated to coordinate the BRICS Network of Centres of Excellence on Mental Wellness, a major institutional initiative to strengthen research and narrow treatment gaps across member countries.
Digital Health and Regulatory Cooperation
Member countries discussed strengthening Digital Health Architecture for Continuum of Care, enabling interoperable digital health ecosystems. The BRICS Compendium on Digital Health Architecture for Continuum of Care including Access to Healthcare in Remote Areas was released as a knowledge resource. Collaboration among BRICS Medical Products Regulatory Authorities was enhanced through the release of the BRICS GxP White Paper to ensure quality, safety, and efficacy of medical products.
Health Security and Disease Prevention
The establishment of a Sub-Working Group on the BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for Prevention and Response to Mass Infectious Diseases was supported, with endorsed Terms of Reference to strengthen disease surveillance and coordinated public health preparedness. The BRICS TB Research Network was reaffirmed to accelerate collaborative research and innovation toward tuberculosis elimination, particularly significant as BRICS countries account for nearly half of the global tuberculosis burden.
Healthy Lifestyle and Traditional Medicine
The BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyle was launched along with the BRICS Roadmap for Joint Initiative on Healthy Lifestyle Promotion (2026–2029), seeking to promote healthy diets, physical activity, and evidence-based behavioral change. The meeting also reaffirmed the importance of promoting Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) through evidence generation and collaborative research, with proposed establishment of a BRICS Expert Working Group on TCIM.
Exhibition and Knowledge Sharing
Health Ministers and delegates visited exhibition pavilions of FSSAI, NHA, and Ministry of AYUSH, including FSSAI's live millet session under the Eat Right India initiative, showcasing India's initiatives in digital health, traditional medicine, food safety, and healthy lifestyles. A series of BRICS Compendiums were released covering Digital Health Architecture, Healthy Lifestyle, Mental Wellness, Diseases Driven by Social Determinants of Health, and National Public Health Institutes.