India and Bahrain healthcare co-operation discussed online

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

India-Bahrain First Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on healthcare cooperation between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Govt of India (GoI) and Ministry of Health, Govt. of Bahrain (GoB), was held virtually on 22 February.

The Indian delegation was led by Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, MoHFW and Dr Najat Mohamed Abulfateh, Director and Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health, Ministry of Health led the Bahraini delegation. Piyush Srivastava, Ambassador of India to Bahrain also attended the meeting. The JWG meeting discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in the field of pharmaceutical, medical devices and diagnostics.

In recent times, three bilateral B2B meetings and webinars – in Oct 2020, Dec 2021 and Feb 2022 – have been organised to promote trade and investment in the field of pharmaceuticals and vaccines, including exploring possibilities of setting up JVs in Bahrain. Both sides also discussed the matter concerning harmonisation of drug approval processes to further promote bilateral trade in this sector.

Both sides also discussed possibilities for the exchange of medical professionals and experts and promotion of medical value travel between India and Bahrain. In this context, the need for mutual recognition and acceptance of each other’s medical degree was also deliberated upon.

Detailed presentations were made by each side on pandemic management in their countries. Both sides acknowledged the effective handling of Covid-19 in each other’s countries and shared best practices adopted by them, and agreed to continue cooperation in this critical area, both at bilateral and multilateral levels.

The meeting took place under the MoU on cooperation in the field of Healthcare signed between the two countries in July 2018. The meeting provided a valuable opportunity to both sides to exchange views on many issues of common interest in the healthcare domain. Both sides noted the need for regular interaction, agreed to form subgroups and designate focal points on the agreed areas of common interest to take the cooperation forward in an effective and time-bound manner. Both sides also agreed to convene the next meeting of the JWG at the earliest at a mutually convenient time.