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New Delhi : Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya interacted with ambassadors of Latin America and Caribbean Nations on November 25, 2021. He highlighted India’s shared values and interests that have driven Vaccine Maitri and cooperation during Covid-19 pandemic.
“Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s healthcare is witnessing a revolutionary transformation which can be adopted by her friends,” Dr. Mandaviya told the ambassadors of Latin America and Caribbean Nations, according to a PIB release.
“India is driven by the philosophy of ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’ which has inspired us to gift Covid-19 vaccine, HCQs, and other medical necessities to all our friends. Further, India is willing to supply Covishield and Covaxin to all the countries present,” this was stated by Dr Mansukh Mandaviya during his meeting with the ambassadors.
Dr Mandaviya emphasised the need to strengthen Public Health system to fight public health outbreaks in the future. He stated, “India has been able to fight Covid-19 under a ‘whole of government’ approach where provincial and local governance provided fillip to the efforts of the Government of India.” Explaining India’s strategy of curbing Covid-19, he spoke on the 6 vaccine approved in India, of which 2 are indigenously developed. Near 1.2 billion doses have been administered with 82% of Indians receiving at least one dose of the vaccine while 44% of Indians are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination in India is recognised by 110 countries at present. “Mutual recognition of vaccinations increases ease of travel for tourism and business thereby boosting economic recovery the world so desperately needs,” Mandaviya said. He highlighted how India helped other countries throughout the Pandemic: Being the Pharmacy of the World, India has generously supplied HCQ tablets and other medical equipment to 27 countries. Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, 6.63 crore doses were sent to 95 countries.
Speaking on possible areas of convergence, Mandaviya noted that more than 70 million tele-consultations has been recorded in eSanjeevani- India’s flagship telemedicine portal. He said that with India’s expertise in Information Technology, it could quickly deploy the CoWIN platform for its vaccination programme. He said that India has already shared the technology with partner nations willing to adopt the technology and will help all nations looking to scale up their vaccination.
The Union Health Minister also brought attention to India’s triumphant march towards Universal Health Care. The four pillars of Ayushman Bharat: envisioning of 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres at primary level, Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana that provides insurance to targeted population categories, the Health Infrastructure Mission with an outlay of Rs 670 million that will strengthen India’s public healthcare system along with diagnostic and surveillance capabilities, the Digital Mission which will provide all Indians with a unique health ID and make their medical history available to approved clinicians in seconds.
He said, “Under Prime Minister Modi, India’s healthcare is witnessing a revolutionary transformation which can be adopted by her friends.”Mandaviya also exhorted the assembled nations to study the possibility of an exchange programme for health professionals.
Union Secretary (Pharma) S Aparna directed the attention of the ambassadors to the fact that India with more than 700 production sites was the largest producer of pharmaceutical formulations, next only to US. The basket of exports although majorly composed of finished products has intermediate products indicating a continuous supply chain and thus potential for greater engagement with countries of the region. She also spoke on India’s incentive to greenfield pharma initiatives and the scope for investment in this sector.
