<p>Its call came at a round-table conference of Health Ministers of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) here yesterday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases.<br /><br />At the conference, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad sought a roadmap for tackling the menace of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and offered to host the next BRICS Health Ministers' meet in India.</p>.<p>He urged BRICS bloc to use its considerable expertise and work out short, medium and long term steps as part of the roadmap to tackle NCDs and associated risk factors.<br /><br />At the end of the meting, the grouping decided to hold discussions on identified areas for preparing a roadmap to tackle the menace of NCDs, apart from collaborating and cooperating to achieve progress in common areas of interest.<br /><br />Besides Azad, the meeting, hosted by Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu, was attended by South African Health Minister Pakishe Aron Motsoaledi, Russian Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development Veronika I Skvortsova and the Brazilian envoy. WHO <br />Director General Margaret Chan and UN AIDS Executive Director Michele Sideby were special invitees.</p>.<p>Azad highlighted certain key aspects of the political declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly on the NCDs and said that BRICS countries should have a roadmap to work in close cooperation in these areas.<br /><br />He stressed that it is essential for the treatment and management of NCDs that accessibility and affordability of medicines should not be hindered by TRIPS Plus measures.<br /><br />Azad said the BRICS forum enjoys a special status since the countries taken together account for approximately 42 per cent of the world population. </p>
<p>Its call came at a round-table conference of Health Ministers of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) here yesterday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases.<br /><br />At the conference, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad sought a roadmap for tackling the menace of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and offered to host the next BRICS Health Ministers' meet in India.</p>.<p>He urged BRICS bloc to use its considerable expertise and work out short, medium and long term steps as part of the roadmap to tackle NCDs and associated risk factors.<br /><br />At the end of the meting, the grouping decided to hold discussions on identified areas for preparing a roadmap to tackle the menace of NCDs, apart from collaborating and cooperating to achieve progress in common areas of interest.<br /><br />Besides Azad, the meeting, hosted by Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu, was attended by South African Health Minister Pakishe Aron Motsoaledi, Russian Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development Veronika I Skvortsova and the Brazilian envoy. WHO <br />Director General Margaret Chan and UN AIDS Executive Director Michele Sideby were special invitees.</p>.<p>Azad highlighted certain key aspects of the political declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly on the NCDs and said that BRICS countries should have a roadmap to work in close cooperation in these areas.<br /><br />He stressed that it is essential for the treatment and management of NCDs that accessibility and affordability of medicines should not be hindered by TRIPS Plus measures.<br /><br />Azad said the BRICS forum enjoys a special status since the countries taken together account for approximately 42 per cent of the world population. </p>