Public health is identified by BIMSTEC member countries as one among its fourteen priority areas for cooperation. Such collaborations, however, have been limited around traditional medicine. This year’s launch of the JIPMER-BIMSTEC Telemedicine Network (JBTN) which combines public health, communication, and technology, is bound to change the status quo. In per-capita terms, three BIMSTEC members are wealthier than India, while three are poorer. Yet India’s health improvements have been slower than even its poorer neighbours. This brief argues that given the diversity within India, the country can learn from the other BIMSTEC members in striving for improvements in its health system. It makes a case for India to conduct and support comparative health system studies within BIMSTEC.