Nadda calls for Indo-African collaboration in health sector

India and Africa should pool their resources to fight diseases using innovative tools, Health Minister J P Nadda today said as he extended all support to African nations in strengthening their health systems and biomedical research.
He said health agendas of India and Africa are reflective of the importance they are giving to achievement of universal healthcare in the most feasible time frame.
"These new goals have to be taken into consideration in the formulation of development cooperation activities in the coming decades," Nadda said.
He was speaking at the India Africa Health Sciences Meet.
He noted that India and Africa are now coming closer to establish cooperation in the area of health to promote their mutual interests.

"We must pool in our collective strengths and resources to ensure these diseases are fought using innovative tools and approaches, and benefit from each other's skills and experiences in this regard," he said.

He said that Africa, despite being supported by international developmental agencies, continues to lack in health research capacity and indigenous product development.
"India has fairly large health and biomedical research capabilities and disease management strategies and programmes.
"We'll be happy to extend any support to African nations and mutually learn from our experience for strengthening health systems and biomedical research," he said.
He said common concerns of both India and Africa are to fight against poverty, nutrition, lack of infrastructure, health and healthcare delivery. All of them demand innovative, sustainable and regionally relevant solutions, he said.

Nadda said, besides achieving and sustaining polio-free status in March 2014, India has successfully eliminated Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus in May 2015, well before the global target of December 2015.