India invites Swedish investment in drug, diagnostics

NEW DELHI - India Monday invited Sweden to be a partner country in developing the health infrastructure in India and said greater investment is expected in the areas like drug development and diagnostics.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said “greater investment is expected in the fields of diagnostics and pharmaceuticals”.

“Potential for investments is huge. We would, however, like the partnerships to be structured in a way that allows transfer of technology leading to sustainable capacity building” he said after jointly inaugurating the Indo-Swedish Health week with Swedish Elderly Care and Public Health Minister Maria Larsson here.

“Sweden will find it productive to collaborate in the fields of diagnostics, geriatric care and mental health,” Azad said.

The minister said the two countries have agreed to work together in the forthcoming World Health Assembly for eventually instituting a framework convention on alcohol control.

Azad offered Indias expertise in the field of high quality and cheap generic drugs. India has the highest number of US FDA approved drugs outside USA and could be a potential exporter to Sweden.

“Growth of cheap generic drug industry is also of vital interest for world health as all health related millennium development goals in the developing countries are dependent on it,” the minister pointed out.

India also offered its expertise in Yoga and Ayurveda. “Many countries such as the US , France, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Canada are asking for teachers and qualified manpower in this area. Sweden may also find Ayurveda and Yoga to be quite useful and beneficial in the public health area,” he added.

The minister also said that Swedish Council of Working Life will conduct the Public Health Summer School in 2010-11. The school is an innovative concept to institutionalise exchange of ideas between young research scholars from India and Sweden.

The Swedish minister is leading a delegation comprising of nearly 70 delegates. Both countries have also identified common areas of collaboration in areas like antimicrobial resistance, pharmaceuticals, medical research, health policy research, alcohol policy and adolescent health. Workshop and seminars will be held in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore on these issues.