KIGALI - The Rwandan and Indian governments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance health cooperation.

The pact was signed last Friday in New Delhi, between the Health Minister Dr. Richard Sezibera and his Indian counterpart, Ghulam Nabi Azada.

A statement from the Rwandan High Commission in New Delhi says the MoU covers multiple fields like integrated disease surveillance, medical research, emergency relief, drugs, laboratory and diagnostics, and pharmaceutical products and traditional medicine.

At the signing ceremony held in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in New Delhi, the Indian Minister of Health, Nabi Azada said that the MoU will enhance information sharing in the field of health and medicine, exchange of health experts, technical support in establishing laboratories, development of telemedicine and capacity building.

"This MoU will allow India to share with Rwanda the enormous progress achieved by India in the field of health care,” reads the statement.

The two ministers also announced that a Joint Working Committee composed of officials from the two countries in charge of implementing the MoU had already been set up. 
The first meeting of the committee will be held by teleconference this week.

Dr. Sezibera who was in New Delhi on a three-day visit to participate at the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) Forum, thanked the Indian government for its continuous commitment in strengthening south-south cooperation.

PMNCH is an independent alliance of 350 partner-organisations hosted by the World Health Organisation.

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