India and Cuba signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enhanced cooperation in the health sector on Wednesday.
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda and Public Health Minister of Cuba Dr Roberto Tomas Morales Ojeda signed the MoU in the presence of senior officers from the Health Ministry and a high level delegation from Cuba.
JP Nadda stated that the relations between Cuba and India are historical and based on shared values of equality and justice, common aspirations and convergence of interests on global issues.
Shri Nadda further stated that the MOU on cooperation in the field of health and medicine between India and Cuba is important for exchanges in the health sector and to develop institutional framework for cooperation in the health sector between the two countries.
“One potential area is pharmaceutical and biotechnology. Cuba has made remarkable strides in the field of bio-technology and pharmaceuticals. We need to encourage greater institutional collaborations for joint production of medicines on commercial basis,” Nadda said.
Nadda also suggested that a Joint Working Group be formed for implementation of the MoU.
The objective of this MoU is to establish comprehensive inter-ministerial and inter-institutional cooperation between the two countries in the field of health sector.