Health ministers from the seven nations of BIMSTEC met in Colombo on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, for the first ministerial-level health meeting in the Bay of Bengal grouping's history, agreeing to set up a regional traditional medicine centre in India and to deepen cooperation on pandemic preparedness and digital health. India's Health Minister J. P. Nadda addressed the inaugural session, offering India's flagship health programmes as shared tools for the region.

Sri Lanka hosted the meeting as the grouping's lead country for public health cooperation, and the ministerial session followed a senior officials' meeting on health that began in Colombo on Tuesday. Nadda arrived in Colombo on Tuesday and was received by Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha, according to IANS.

What was agreed in Colombo

The meeting concluded with all member states agreeing to establish a BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence in Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar, in the Indian state of Gujarat, and approving a revised plan of action for health cooperation covering 2026 to 2030, Nation Press reported. The centre, to be based at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda in Jamnagar, is intended to drive joint research, capacity building and knowledge exchange in traditional medicine across the region.

Nadda told fellow ministers that India was ready to share its expertise and best practices with BIMSTEC partners. He highlighted India's progress towards universal health coverage through Ayushman Bharat, its flagship public health insurance scheme, alongside strengthened public health infrastructure and digital healthcare initiatives.

Digital health and pandemic preparedness

Digital health was a central part of India's pitch. Nadda pointed to eSanjeevani, the government's telemedicine platform, as a tool that has made remote consultations routine across India's geography, and called for stronger regional collaboration on digital healthcare, health security and pandemic preparedness, according to Digital Health News.

He also urged cooperation on the One Health approach, which recognises the links between human, animal and environmental health, and on traditional medicine. In a post on X quoted by the Health Ministry, Nadda said: "Guided by PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji's vision of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future', India remains committed to building a healthier, more inclusive and resilient BIMSTEC region."

Who is in BIMSTEC

BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, was established in 1997 and groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The seven countries share the coastline and hinterland of the Bay of Bengal, but health cooperation at ministerial level had never before been formalised in a dedicated meeting.

The Colombo gathering also produced business on the sidelines. Bangladesh and Nepal agreed to expand health cooperation, with talks focused on pharmaceutical trade and more places for Nepali students at Bangladeshi medical colleges, the two countries' health ministers meeting in Colombo, according to the Business Standard's Dhaka edition. India is also expected to sign an agreement during Nadda's visit for a grant to supply 100 fully equipped ambulances for Sri Lanka's 1990 Suwa Seriya free national emergency ambulance service, News9 reported.

What happens next

The test of the Colombo meeting will be whether the Jamnagar centre and the 2026-2030 plan of action turn into working programmes: a timetable for the centre, shared data and surveillance arrangements under One Health, and a joint early-warning mechanism for outbreaks in the Bay of Bengal region. For now, the first health ministers' meeting has given the grouping a formal structure for health cooperation that it did not have before.

Frequently asked questions

What is the BIMSTEC Health Ministers' Meeting? It is a ministerial-level forum of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. The Colombo meeting on 11 November 2026 was the first of its kind.

Which countries are members of BIMSTEC? Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Where will the BIMSTEC traditional medicine centre be? At Jamnagar in Gujarat, India, based at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda.