By IANS
New Delhi : India will promote the Indian system of medicines in France and both countries will work together on medical research and vaccine development, the union health ministry said here Friday.
A three-member delegation, led by Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, currently on an official visit to France met French Minister for Health, Youth Affairs and Sports Roselyne Bachelot in Paris earlier this week.
During the meeting, besides bilateral issues relating to the health sector, both ministers decided to focus their attention on joint medical research, biotechnology, development of vaccine, promotion of Indian systems of medicines and cooperation between Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and France apex research body, a ministry statement said.
The health minister also visited the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM).
The ICMR and the INSERM have already signed an agreement on strengthening research in biomedical sciences in February 2007.
According to the agreement, both organisations will work together in the field of infectious diseases like tuberculosis, AIDS and malaria, human genetics and genomics, neurosciences, stem cell research, bioethics and clinical research among others.
Currently eight joint collaborative projects between Indian and French scientists are in progress, and eight other projects have been successfully completed.