The first BIMSTEC Health Ministers' Meeting, held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on November 11, unanimously adopted a Joint Ministerial Statement reaffirming the member countries' commitment to accessible, affordable and quality healthcare, regional health security and resilient public health systems across the Bay of Bengal region, according to an official release reported by ANI.

Source: ANI

The meeting also adopted the Revised BIMSTEC Plan of Action on Public Health (2026-2030), a roadmap for cooperation in disease surveillance, pandemic preparedness, digital health, traditional medicine, One Health and healthcare workforce development. The meeting was chaired by Sri Lanka's Minister of Health and Mass Media, Nalinda Jayatissa, and brought together ministers and senior representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda represented India and reaffirmed India's readiness to share its expertise and best practices with BIMSTEC partners, highlighting Ayushman Bharat and the eSanjeevani telemedicine platform, IANS reported.

Source: IANS

7BIMSTEC member countries at the meeting
2026-2030Period of the revised public health action plan
1stHealth ministers' meeting in BIMSTEC's history

India will host the BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence in Traditional Medicine at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) in Jamnagar, Gujarat, Nadda announced at the meeting.

On the sidelines, Nadda held a bilateral meeting with Nepal's Minister for Health and Food Safety, Neesha Mehta, ANI reported. The ministerial mechanism follows a decision taken at the Sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok in April 2025.