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When Kenya’s Foreign Minister Raychelle Omamo summoned Foreign Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday, the conversation focused mainly on the Covid-19 outbreak. Jaishankar’s counterpart was concerned about drug supplies with the virus now spreading in Africa and remote parts of the world.
Jaishankar told his Kenyan counterpart that India would not only provide hydroxychloroquine and acetaminophen on a commercial basis, but would also send more as a gift or assistance.
In another conversation with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Jaishankar stressed that India is already in the process of moving drugs to her country.
Jaishankar’s diplomatic outreach to other countries has been guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clear observation earlier this month that he asked his team to respond positively to requests for help from other countries to fight Covid-19, they said. people familiar with development.
Prime Minister Modi had pointed out that if you help someone when they need it to face a crisis, the gesture will not be easily forgotten.
It is this advice that has fueled much of the response from Indian diplomats. Authorities said India is sending approximately 28 lakh of hydroxychloroquine and 13 lakh of paracetamol tablets to 32 countries as assistance. In addition, drug supplies are being made to 42 countries for commercial purposes.
Indian priorities have been made clear with the first supplies being shipped to SAARC countries and the extended Gulf neighborhood. Europe, America and the Indo-Pacific were covered in the next phase.
After supplies reached these countries, India went on to provide assistance to smaller countries and island nations. These include Burkina Faso, the Marshall Islands, Eswatini, Comoros, the Dominican Republic, Seychelles, and Jamaica.
Global demand for hydroxychloroquine increased after some studies indicated that the drug, when combined with azithromycin, helped clear the virus to patients at a much faster rate than is commonly seen.
India, the largest producer of hydroxychloroquine, had initially banned exports last month before partially relaxing the rules to allow the export of hydroxychloroquine and acetaminophen after meeting all national requirements. Health ministry officials have confirmed that the government had access to much more than the estimated requirements to deal with any eventuality.
The government, authorities said, was aware that the battle against Covid-19 could end in a long journey, much more than initially expected. They said the government is preparing its health sector to tackle not only a sudden Covid-19 outbreak but also diseases accompanying rains in India, such as dengue, measles and cholera.
“We also have to be ready for a possible second wave of the pandemic later this winter,” said a senior official.
In addition to drugs, India also began sending shipments of wheat of up to 75 metric tons to Afghanistan via the Chabahar and also offered wheat and rice to Iran as humanitarian assistance.
