India Strengthens Regional Health Partnerships as First BIMSTEC Health Ministers’ Meeting Unanimously Adopts Joint Ministerial Statement in Colombo
PIB National (English) · Published 11 November 2026 · Last updated
The First BIMSTEC Health Ministers' Meeting in Colombo unanimously adopted a Joint Ministerial Statement and the Revised BIMSTEC Plan of Action on Public Health (2026-2030) to strengthen regional health security and cooperation.
Key points
- The First BIMSTEC Health Ministers' Meeting was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on November 11, 2026, and was attended by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda representing India.
- The meeting unanimously adopted a Joint Ministerial Statement reaffirming member countries' commitment to accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare and regional health security.
- Delegates adopted the Revised BIMSTEC Plan of Action on Public Health (2026-2030) to provide a structured roadmap for disease surveillance, pandemic preparedness, digital health, traditional medicine, One Health, and workforce development.
- India announced its commitment to hosting the BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence in Traditional Medicine at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
- India and Sri Lanka exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding for the supply of 100 additional fully-equipped ambulances to Sri Lanka's 1990 Suwa Seriya Emergency Ambulance Service, supported by grant assistance of SLR 1,725.73 million.
- India announced support for 50 Medical Kiosks/Health ATMs to strengthen primary healthcare services in Sri Lanka.
- The meeting welcomed regional proposals including the proposed BIMSTEC Regional Centre of Excellence for Public Health in Sri Lanka, the BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence on Tropical Medicine in Thailand, and Bangladesh's proposal for a Regional Zoonotic Disease Observatory and Early Warning System.
- India proposed exploring a BIMSTEC Digital Health Framework to promote telemedicine, interoperable electronic health records, and artificial intelligence in diagnostics and disease modelling.
Background
- The decision to establish a dedicated mechanism for cooperation among Health Ministers of member countries was taken at the Sixth BIMSTEC Summit held in Bangkok in April 2025.
- India has established over 1.85 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services closer to communities.
- India operates the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) providing annual cashless hospitalisation coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per eligible family covering over 60 crore people.
- India's National Telemedicine Service, eSanjeevani, has crossed 50 crore teleconsultations.
Prelims facts and Mains angle for this issue are in the full SWAदेSH note.
Original report: PIB National (English)