India’s health minister meets Sri Lanka and Fiji on the sidelines of WHO’s Traditional Medicine Summit
New Delhi, Dec 19 2025 — Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel held back‑to‑back meetings with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health and Mass Media, Nalinda Jayatissa, and Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services, Ratu Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu. The talks took place in New Delhi while the city hosted the second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, a gathering aimed at mainstreaming traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) into national health systems.
High‑level dialogue with Sri Lanka
During a three‑hour session, Patel and Jayatissa reviewed ongoing collaborations under the India‑Sri Lanka health partnership, which includes the joint research platform on Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine that was launched in 2022. Both officials highlighted recent progress in cross‑border training programmes for Ayurvedic practitioners and the expansion of tele‑medicine services linking Colombo’s National Tele‑Health Centre with Indian digital health platforms such as the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
“India remains a trusted partner for Sri Lanka in health,” the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare wrote in a post on X. “We will deepen cooperation on disease surveillance, traditional medicine research and capacity building in the years ahead.” The statement echoes a 2023 memorandum of understanding that committed both governments to share epidemiological data through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and to co‑author guidelines for the safe use of herbal medicines.
Strengthening ties with Fiji
Patel’s meeting with Minister Lalabalavu focused on the historic India‑Fiji health relationship, dating back to the 1970s when Indian medical teams first set up clinics in Suva. The dialogue covered expanding vaccine supply chains, joint research on tropical diseases such as dengue and leishmaniasis, and piloting a digital health exchange that would allow Fiji’s health workers to access India’s e‑Sanjeevani tele‑consultation platform.
According to the ministry’s X post, “the interaction reflected the strong, historic India‑Fiji partnership, with discussions centered on further strengthening cooperation in the health sector and exploring new avenues of collaboration for the future.” Both sides agreed to submit a joint proposal to the WHO for a regional centre on traditional Pacific island medicine at the upcoming summit.
WHO summit provides a platform for regional cooperation
The second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, scheduled for Dec 2‑4 2025 in New Delhi, brings together more than 200 delegates from 70 countries. The summit’s theme, “Restoring balance: The science and practice of health and well‑being,” builds on the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025‑2034, which seeks to strengthen the evidence base for TCIM, integrate safe practices into health systems and protect biodiversity.
“The summit is an opportunity for countries to share best practices and align national policies with WHO’s strategic objectives,” said Dr Rudi Eggers, WHO Director of Integrated Health Services, during the opening plenary. The event also features a launch of the Ayush Grid, an AI‑driven platform developed by India’s Ministry of Ayush to digitise traditional medicine records and support evidence‑based research.
For a full overview of the summit’s agenda and objectives, see the WHO’s official page on the Second Global Traditional Medicine Summit.
India’s digital health leadership underpins diplomatic outreach
Patel’s emphasis on digital disease surveillance aligns with India’s broader push to market its health‑tech ecosystem abroad. In March 2025, she highlighted the country’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) as a model for other nations during a QUAD workshop on pandemic preparedness. The IDSP, which aggregates real‑time data from more than 7,000 health facilities, has been credited with reducing the reporting lag for COVID‑19 and dengue outbreaks by up to 40 percent.
“Our experience in building robust, data‑driven health systems can support our neighbours in strengthening their own surveillance capacities,” Patel said at the New Delhi meeting. The minister also noted India’s recent contribution of $22 million to the WHO pandemic fund, reinforcing the country’s commitment to multilateral health security.
Implications for regional health cooperation
The back‑to‑back meetings signal a coordinated effort by New Delhi to embed traditional medicine within a modern, digitally enabled health framework. By aligning bilateral talks with the WHO summit, India seeks to leverage international standards while promoting its indigenous health industries, a strategy that could boost export revenues from Ayurvedic pharmaceuticals and health‑tourism.
Analysts at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) observe that “India’s diplomatic outreach in the health sector is part of a larger soft‑power play, using expertise in TCIM and digital health to deepen ties with smaller neighbours and the Pacific island community.” If the proposed joint research initiatives and digital platforms materialise, the region could see faster rollout of integrated health services, improved disease monitoring, and greater recognition of traditional knowledge in global health policy.
For more coverage of India’s health diplomacy, see our related story on India‑Sri Lanka health cooperation.
