India has asked the members of the South Asian Forum for Health Research (SAFHeR) to explore ways for strengthening collaboration by sharing innovative methods for tackling the problems faced by the countries.

“Be it poverty, be it disease, be it natural disaster, the destiny of South Asia is interlinked and we must, therefore, work together to deal with these challenges”, said Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad while inaugurating the fourth meeting of SAFHeR hosted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) here on February 4.

Delegates and Officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Thailand representing their health and medical research councils, are attending the three day conference on the theme of “Empowering through Sharing – Working towards Implementation of Regional Health Priorities”.

 Azad said India would do everything to facilitate regional cooperation among the member countries for addressing common health problems towards sustainable solutions. He hoped that the deliberations would help arrive at concrete plans to initiate actual projects in selected areas in terms of exchange of personnel, trainings or multi-lateral research projects.

This regional meeting is discussing a wide range of subject areas like Vector borne diseases; cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases; drug resistance; influenza, health problems due to heavy content of arsenic & fluorides; continued challenge of malnutrition and high maternal and child morbidity & morality; non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and for finding the determinants that may be common and affordable solutions, an official release said.

South Asian Forum for Health Research (SAFHeR) was established in 2003 as a mechanism for enhancing regional cooperation and partnership in Health Research among South Asian countries. The Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) had earlier organised three such meetings during 2008 and 2010. Indian Council of Medical Research, the apex research body in India completed its 100 years of existence very recently in November, 2011 and has now accepted to host the SAFHeR Secretariat for the period 2012-2014. Dr. V.M. Katoch, Secretary, Department of Health Research, Government of India has assumed the charge of President of SAFHeR.