NEW DELHI: On the second day of President Donald Trump ’s maiden visit here, India and the US inked two bilateral pacts in healthcare for strengthening cooperation for - mental and emotional wellbeing; and generic medicine regime.The first agreement is expected to enable India to learn from the US’ research and experience in treating mental health issues – an emerging trend in India. According to an earlier report published in Lancet, the burden of mental disorders is increasing rapidly in India from 3% in 1990 to 6% in 2013. Moreover, most of the cases are not reported as 80% of people with any form of mental disorder do not seek treatment.The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries is also expected to use Indian traditional therapies and medicines to address mental health issues as well as facilitate a greater access to such drugs and therapies to the large US market.The second pact is likely to help increase access to generic drugs in the US. US has among the largest market in the world for generics drugs and India is a large producer of generic drugs. This MoU will allow India to strengthen its food and drug protocols and improve access for generics in the US market as well benefit Indian consumers by ensuring higher standards of generic drug standard compliance.The pacts came on the heels of Prime Minister Modi ’s assertion that the two countries have decided to take their ties to a comprehensive global partnership level.There is ongoing cooperation between the two countries in cancer research, prevention, control, management and research.The existing MoUs in the healthcare sector include that on the establishment and operation of Global Disease Detection with an aim to strengthen the epidemiology and laboratory capacity in India.India also initiated the second round of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey in 2015-16 in technical partnership with US government agency. Besides, there is Indo-US Vaccine Action Programme collaboration aimed at developing and evolving joint R&D projects towards development of safe and efficacious vaccines against some of the major communicable diseases. Under the Indo-US programme on low cost diagnostics, the two countries plan to develop low cost diagnostics and therapeutic technologies for evaluation and improvement of global health.The Indian drug regulator Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) also have an agreement for cooperation in training of regulatory and lab personnel and lab strengthening.