On April 15, 2026, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare hosted and chaired the First BRICS Health Working Group Meeting of 2026 in New Delhi. As BRICS Chair for 2026, India is guided by the overarching theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability". The meeting brought together senior health officials, technical experts and delegates from BRICS member countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Iran — to deliberate on priority areas of cooperation in public health. Member countries emphasised deepening collaboration on tuberculosis through the BRICS TB Research Network, strengthening the BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for infectious diseases, enhancing digital health architectures to improve access for remote and vulnerable communities, and advancing regulatory cooperation and local production of medicines and vaccines. The Union Health Secretary proposed two new priority areas under India's Chairship: a BRICS Mission for Healthy Lifestyles, addressing risk factors such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and harmful use of alcohol; and Promotion of Mental Health and Wellness, focused on strengthening mental health services, addressing stigma, and integrating mental health into broader public health frameworks. The meeting reflects a people-centric and humanity-first approach articulated by the Prime Minister at the 2025 Rio Summit and lays the technical groundwork for the BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting later in the year.