Just the medicine for universal health as Brics pools expertise for resilience
· Citizen
The adoption of the 16th Brics health ministers’ declaration, committing the bloc to deeper cooperation in health care, builds on an earlier pledge by member states to work collectively towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC).
The declaration was endorsed by more than 70 representatives and partner organisations at the recent Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) health ministers’ gathering chaired by India in Chandigarh.
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Delegates identified nine priority areas for cooperation, including mental health, tuberculosis (TB) control, pandemic preparedness, traditional medicine and the development of nuclear medicine.
The agreement reinforces Brics’ commitment to UHC, one of the World Health Organisation’ key sustainable development goals, by expanding collaboration to strengthen health systems and improve access to quality health care.
India’s Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda called for greater collective action, saying enhanced cooperation would strengthen public health systems, accelerate digital health care solutions and improve access to medical services across member states.
He noted India’s experience had shown resilient health systems and equitable health care access to be essential pillars of sustainable development.
Cuba’s ambassador to India, Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera, welcomed the declaration, describing it as further evidence of Brics’ determination to deepen cooperation and improve the quality of health care services throughout the bloc.
Although all Brics members share the vision of providing equitable, quality health care, while reducing the financial burden on poorer communities, few have fully achieved UHC.
Among the original five Brics members, Brazil has made the greatest progress, providing free health care to all residents and visitors through its Unified Health System.
Russia has a state-backed mandatory health insurance model built around an extensive public health care network, while China has achieved near-universal basic health coverage through government-supported insurance schemes.
India has also made significant advances through sustained policy reforms, infrastructure investment and increased public health expenditure.
Programmes such as the National Rural Health Mission have strengthened primary healthcare, while government-funded insurance schemes provide hospital care for economically disadvantaged citizens at accredited public and private hospitals.
At the Chandigarh meeting, India showcased its achievements in health care delivery, medical education, scientific research and innovation.
Central to its strategy is the Ayushman Bharat programme, one of the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance schemes, which provides eligible beneficiaries with access to advanced treatments, including cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, cancer care and organ transplantation.
South Africa has been pursuing an ambitious National Health Insurance system but implementation has faced significant obstacles.
These include funding constraints, shortages of health care professionals, inadequate infrastructure, legal challenges over the constitutionality of the legislation and opposition from parts of the private health care sector concerned about the future of medical aid schemes.
While Brics members remain committed to working together to achieve UHC, it will require sustained political commitment and greater investment.
The World Bank has observed that though health system reform features prominently on the policy agenda of the original Brics countries, health care spending remains relatively modest.
The Brics declaration recognises cooperation in targeted areas including disease control, digital health, medical research, traditional medicine and pandemic preparedness.
By pooling expertise, Brics is laying the foundations for more accessible, affordable and resilient health care for billions of people across the global south.