Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare hosts first BRICS Health Working Group meeting 2026

Key facts

• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) chaired the First Health Working Group (HWG) Meeting under the BRICS framework for 2026 in New Delhi.
• India is the BRICS Chair for 2026, guided by the theme Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.
• The meeting included delegates from BRICS member countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Indonesia.
• Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava proposed two new priority areas under India's Chairship: BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyles and Promotion of Mental Health and Wellness.
• The BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyles focuses on addressing risk factors including unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and harmful use of alcohol.
• The HWG deliberated on nine priority areas: BRICS TB Research Network, collaboration among BRICS Medical Products Regulatory Authorities, BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for prevention and response to mass infectious diseases, Digital Health Architecture for continuum of care, BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyles, promotion of mental health and wellness, Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM), fight against diseases driven by social determinants of health (DDSDH), and BRICS Network of National Public Health Institutes.