Kochi, Dec 1 (IANS): Experts from 35 countries are expected to gather in this Kerala city for the high-profile global health conference on social marketing and franchising (SMF), the first time such a conference is happening here.

The meeting, beginning Thursday, is expected to help the country achieve universal health coverage. The meetings will occur over three days.

The conference is organised by Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT), a not-for-profit trust promoted by the public sector enterprise HLL Lifecare Ltd., with the support of the ministry of health and family welfare, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), HLL and National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).

The conference will showcase successful public-private partnership (PPP), social marketing (SM) and social franchising (SF) models, and means of sensitisation of policy-makers and prospective private sector partners. It will aid identification of best practices globally and encourage cross-learning, said M. Ayyappan, chairman, HLFPPT.

Experts in the field from 35 countries in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Middle East, north and sub-Saharan Africa are taking part.

"We are looking at this conference as a means of learning about the global best practices and models," said additional secretary with the government of India, Anuradha Gupta, who is also mission director of the National Rural Health Mission.

A number of prominent voluntary bodies, including the Bill and and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Department for International Department (DFID) of Britain, the UNFPA and USAID are supporting the event.