Trade barriers should not prevent affordable health services

From K J M Varma Beijing, Jul 11 (PTI) India today cautioned against moves to enforce Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) with the proposed anti-counterfeiting task force (ACTA), saying trade barriers should not prevent "equitable and affordable" public health services."We must guard against the enforcement of IPR through the proposed ACTA which will deter generic competition. We cannot, therefore, let trade barriers and concerns for individual profiteering stand in the way of equitable and affordable public health services," Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said while addressing the BRICS meeting in China's northern port city of Tianjin city."ACTA negates the flexibilities available to the countries under the TRIPS with respect to IPRs," Azad said, adding, "International agreements that interfere with the use of TRIPs flexibilities by BRICS nations and require TRIPS-Plus and other measures must therefore be resisted." Meanwhile, the BRICS (Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa) nations vowed to improve access to low-cost and high-quality medicine.BRICS health ministers, who met for the first time, expressed their commitment to work with with international groups such as the WHO and UNAIDS to provide "affordable, safe and effective technologies"."We are committed to continue to collaborate in order to advance access to public health services and... support other countries in their efforts to promote health for all," the grouping said in a statement.The five emerging countries together account for more than 40 per cent of the world's population.