NEW DELHI: Punya Salila Srivastava, the Union Health Secretary of India, attended the 8th SCO Health Ministerial Meeting held in Xian province, China.

Srivastava, during her address, underscored India's commitment to Universal Health Coverage, with a particular focus on advancing digital health infrastructure and the effective integration of both traditional and modern medical systems in the country.

Sharing a post on X, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare wrote, "Punya Salila Srivastava, Union Health Secretary, Government of India, participated in the 8th #SCO Health Ministerial Meeting in Xian province of China."

The post added, "During her address, she highlighted India's unwavering commitment to Universal Health Coverage, strong emphasis on #digitalhealth infrastructure and effective integration of traditional and modern systems of medicine in India."

Last year, on March 14, Astana hosted the 7th SCO Health Ministers Meeting.

Chaired by Kazakhstani Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova, the meeting saw an exchange of views on how to develop healthcare systems in the SCO countries, on the role played by international organisations in this area, on building the potential of medical and pharmaceutical personnel, and on prospects for SCO cooperation in medicine, pharmacology, and health protection.

SCO Deputy Secretary-General Nuran Niyazaliyev had addressed the meeting on behalf of the SCO Secretariat to advise the participants on the main trends in health cooperation between the SCO member states. He stressed that all countries in the region were in favour of further expanding the cooperation and intensifying practical collaboration in this area based on the Shanghai Spirit.

A guest of honour, WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge, delivered remarks on the effective coordination of healthcare-related efforts by all participants in international relations.

Following the meeting, the participants had approved an Action Plan on Developing Cooperation in Healthcare between the SCO Member States for 2025-2027 and signed a Protocol.