China hosts 12th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting

The 12th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting was hosted online on May 10 by China, the rotating chair of the BRICS this year. Ma Xiaowei, minister of China's National Health Commission (NHC), attended the meeting and delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. Li Bin, vice-minister of the NHC, presided over the meeting.

Recalling the progress made since the first BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting held in Beijing in 2011, Ma said that the Chinese government adheres to the philosophy of people and lives first and sticks to scientific and precise anti-COVID-19 measures and the dynamic zero-COVID policy to do its utmost to coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic development.

At the same time, China has made contributions to global anti-COVID-19 cooperation by supplying anti-pandemic materials and vaccines and dispatching medical expert teams, he said, noting that so far China has provided over 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations. He said China calls on the BRICS countries to work together in combating the epidemic and to jointly promote the realization of universal health coverage.

Representatives from BRICS countries had in-depth exchanges on topics such as COVID-19 prevention and control, health system construction, and digital health. The meeting participants agreed to kickstart work related to an early warning system for major infectious diseases, and adopted a joint declaration in principle.

More than 70 people, including health ministers of the BRICS nations and the deputy director general of the World Health Organization, attended the meeting. Officials from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the NHC participated in the meeting.