India today offered to play a constructive role in supporting Timor-Leste's aspirations in the fields of health and medicine.
At a bilateral meeting between Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and his counterpart from Timor-Leste Sergio G C Lobo here, the two leaders discussed ways to work out an institutional framework to further develop ties between the two countries.
Azad said New Delhi accords great importance to its time- tested relations with the Republic of Timor-Leste, which faces the same health challenges like India had faced before.
"Our experience can show how these challenges can be successfully overcome," Azad said.
India and Timor-Liste are working out signing of an agreement for bilateral cooperation in various areas including health and medicine.
Once signed, the agreement would help both the countries in future and would include human resource development, medical training, nurse and midwifery training, public health management and training and pharmaceutical, and medical equipment.
It would also include ways to strengthen regulatory systems, hospital development and management, procurement and distribution of drugs and medical equipment, health policies in different areas of medicine, public health including public-private partnerships, health research and development and traditional medicine for mutual cooperation and benefit.
"We can certainly look at increased short and medium term training opportunities in India for the medical students and nurses from Timor-Leste," Azad said.
In reply, Lobo said India has made much advance in medical sector and hoped the signing of agreement would strengthen collaboration and partnership in the health sectors between the two countries.
With India's cooperation, human resources of Timor-Leste in medical sector would greatly benefit, he said.
