India, March 17 -- Senior health officials and technical experts from Quad member states and 15 countries across the Indo-Pacific Region are participating in a workshop on pandemic preparedness in India.

The 'Quad Workshop on Pandemic Preparedness for the Indo-Pacific Region', which began on Monday and will continue till March 19, will focus on pandemic preparedness, particularly governance, surveillance and innovation, the external affairs ministry said.

The event is part of India's presidency of the Quad grouping, which includes the US, Japan and Australia, and is an outcome of the Quad Leaders' Summit held last September. Cooperation on health issues has emerged as a key pillar of the Quad.

Panel discussions at the workshop will foc...