Over two days, the city of Asuncion, in Paraguay, hosted the fifty-fourth meeting of health ministers of the Mercosur countries and associated countries. On that occasion, cooperation agreements were signed to achieve greater alignment between foreign trade policy and industrial policy, with a focus on increasing preparedness for public health emergencies and expanding domestic and regional production among member countries.
The need to expand mental health care and the impacts of climate change on health were topics addressed by all delegations.
Health Minister Nicia Trindade focused on assistance measures for residents of Rio Grande do Sul, following the state of emergency caused by torrential rains and subsequent flooding across the state. The Brazilian delegation at the Health Ministers’ Meeting in Mercosur was represented by the Minister of Science, Technology, Innovation and the Health Economic-Industrial Complex, Carlos Gadelha.
According to Gadelha, the meeting achieved progress on several fronts, such as, for example, the issue of combating dengue fever and stimulating production and regional technological development of the health industrial complex. “With this, the region will become increasingly prepared to face health emergencies. The Minister explained that the Mercosur countries will work together to reduce inequalities in technological development and health production to guarantee the right to life.
In total, seven cooperation agreements were signed:
- Establishment of the Intergovernmental Committee to Expand Regional Production Capacity for Medicines and Health Technologies (CIECPR);
- Cooperation to obtain antivenoms for incidents caused by poisonous animals in Mercosur;
- Formulating the convergent agenda on sexually transmitted diseases and sexual and reproductive health in MERCOSUR;
- Project on carrying out organ transplantation operations in Mercosur countries and associated countries for non-resident persons;
- Declaration of the Mercosur Health Ministers’ Meeting on Strengthening Actions and Establishing Guidelines to Assist Health Workers of the Intergovernmental Committee on Environment and Workers’ Health (CISAT);
- Declaration of the meeting of health ministers of the Mercosur countries on dengue and other arboviruses;
- Announcement of the Mercosur Health Ministers’ Meeting on Strategic Partnerships in the Field of Health Surveillance.
Janari Damascena
Ministry of Health
