First meeting of BRICS health ministers brings new leadership to global health

Universal access to medicines was a key topic of discussion at a meeting this week of health ministers from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) in Beijing, China. The meeting, hosted by the government of China, aimed to identify opportunities for BRICS countries to promote wider access to affordable, quality-assured medicines, with a view to reaching the Millennium Development Goals and other public health challenges.

“The five BRICS countries are bringing a new voice, a new perspective and new solutions to today’s global challenges,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe who participated in the First BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting, together with World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan. “It is a voice with incredible economic, technological and innovative strength behind it and, at the same time, a voice intimately connected to the needs and interests of the developing world,” he added.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are home to 40% of the global population and nearly one third of all people living with HIV in the world. While the five BRICS countries have made significant progress in expanding HIV prevention and treatment services for their populations, the goal of universal access remains a critical challenge: In four of five BRICS countries, for example, only one third of people who need HIV treatment are receiving it.