Colombo: Health Ministers from the seven South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) nations, including India, will meet in the Maldives next week to discuss collective action on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Maldivian Health Minister Ahmed Abdullah said on April 26.

He said Ministers of the regional grouping have been invited to the Maldives for a meeting on April 29 to hammer out a common strategy to deal with the problem.

"Maldives is convening the meeting because of the great importance it attaches to collective action by SAARC countries to protect the region from an outbreak of the epidemic," Abdullah said in a written statement.

Besides India, the other members of SAARC are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Agencies