India and Pakistan Tuesday enhanced their cooperation in the crucial area of healthcare and discussed steps needed to jointly fight polio and avian flu.
"The two sides discussed measures for control of polio and exchanged ideas on management of avian influenza," external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said.During the first meeting of the India-Pakistan Joint Commission technical-level working group on health, the Indian side was led by B. P. Sharma, joint secretary in the ministry of health and family welfare while the Pakistani delegation was led by Mohammad Reza, deputy director general (P&G)in the ministry of health.
The two sides also discussed measures to step up collaboration in the field of cost effective and good quality Indian generic drugs, pharmaceuticals and vaccines, and agreed to exchange experiences in public-private partnership, official sources told IANS.
Cooperation in the field of traditional systems of medicine like ayurveda also figured prominently in the discussions and the two sides decided to identify specific focus areas for future.
The two countries that wrapped up the third round of composite dialogue early this month will meet again in Islamabad to map out future areas of cooperation in the field of public health.
The two South Asian neighbours will hold technical-level discussions on cooperation in the arena of IT and telecom sector Wednesday.
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