India hosted senior cancer doctors and policymakers from Bimstec countries at the National Cancer Network (NCG) annual meeting in Mumbai as part of efforts to strengthen regional collaboration in health.

With the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) largely moribund over the last decade or so, India has turned to Bimstec, which brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, to boost regional cooperation.

Cancer doctors and policymakers from Bimstec countries attended the NCG meeting at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai from November 6-8, the ministry of external affairs said on Wednesday. NCG is a collaborative network of more than 360 cancer centers, research institutes, patient groups and professional societies from India and 15 other countries.

“The initiative is another step towards strengthening regional cooperation in the field of health among Bimstec countries,” the ministry said.

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It was stated that the initiative will support Bimstec cooperation in the health sector by expanding the scope of cancer control activities in the region and further strengthen the larger partnership under the grouping.

The NCG meeting aimed to familiarize participants with the organization’s activities and provide first-hand experience in cancer control. It had a diverse agenda highlighting various NCG initiatives and included brainstorming sessions focusing on future initiatives.

Several collaborative initiatives were discussed during the meeting, including participation in Virtual Tumor Boards, capacity building for workforce development, cancer registries outreach, and matching. cancer centers.