Saarc centre for disease surveillance to be set up
The proposal to establish the surveillance centre and the rapid deployment health response system would be finalised following a meeting in New Delhi in June.
In a joint declaration following the two-day meeting, the Saarc Health Ministers directed to prepare an action plan on cooperation in medical expertise and pharmaceuticals and asked the technical committee on Health and Population Activities to harmonise standards and certification procedures and produce affordable medicines as well as traditional medicines.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia inaugurated the conference in the morning and launched the Regional Strategy on HIV/AIDS.
"We call upon the member states to take concrete actions to implement the work plan for 2006-2010 developed under the Regional Strategy on HIV/AIDS," said Health Minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain at a press briefing following the conference.
Saarc health ministers also directed the Technical Committee to prepare guidelines for a regional initiative on basic healthcare services, nutrition, safe water and sanitation, he said.
"We, the health ministers of Saarc, also decided that a Directory of Medicinal Plants would be prepared under the Technical Committee for outlining varies plants of medicinal interest available in the region and their geographical distribution," said the minister.
He also said that they also decided to convene a regional expert group meeting to develop an influenza preparedness strategy covering both animal and human health at the earliest.
BSS adds: Speaking at the inaugural session, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia called for formation of a broad-based compact between the government and civil society stakeholders to combat the massive challenge of HIV/AIDS in South Asian countries.
"HIV/AIDS poses major health and economic challenge for contemporary South Asia," she said.
"I hope the strategy will complement actions that all our countries are taking at the national level to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS," said Khaleda, who is also Chairperson of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Pakistan Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan, Indian State Minister for Health Pranabaka Lakshmi and Saarc Secretary General Chenkyab Dorji also addressed the inaugural ceremony.
UNAIDS Representative Mohammad Ali Bhuiyan presented a statement on the Saarc Regional Strategy on HIV/AIDS, developed by the Saarc countries in partnership with the UNAIDS. The inaugural ceremony was followed by two working sessions.
The prime minister stressed the need for adequate preparations to prevent and control health emergencies like the recent outbreak of Bird Flu.
"In most recent times, bird flue has affected some parts of South Asia. These affects lives and livelihoods of many of our ordinary people," she said.
She highlighted some other areas of concern saying South Asia often faces major health emergencies such as Avian Influenza and Dengue.
Suggesting cooperation in pharmaceutical production, Khaleda hoped that the health ministers would consider it seriously as to how best Saarc nations can benefit from each other's capabilities in the "area of great promise."
The prime minister looked forward to a very productive deliberation in the meeting and hoped that the meeting would richly contribute to enriching cooperation within the region in the area of health.
"The fundamental rationale for cooperation at the level of Saarc is that the common people of the region will stand to benefit from fruits of such cooperation. We wish Saarc to a people's organisation," she said and added that the efforts in the broad areas of health are of utmost significant in this regard.
Khaleda said the health ministers' meeting is taking place at an important juncture of Saarc's history as the 13th summit in Dhaka in last November emphatically resolved that the SAARC's third decade should be focused, result-oriented and time-bound.
She, therefore, requested the meeting to have a hard look at the implementation status of the earlier decisions taken in the area of health and population, and carefully consider the implications while formulating new decisions and framing new strategies.