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India has decided to expand its healthcare effort to help authorities abroad combat Covid-19 and has focused on covering more than 90 countries in the coming weeks, people close to development told the Hindustan Times on Monday.
New Delhi’s diplomatic reach is expected to cost Rs 110-120 billion (Rs 1.1-1.2 billion).
This is in addition to the drugs and equipment that India is supplying to various countries on commercial terms.
For now, the Foreign Ministry has pledged to supply Rs 60 million rupees of medicines, test kits and other medical assistance to 67 countries.
“But we have received many more requests that are likely to be approved by the Foreign Ministry in light of Prime Minister Modi’s clear instructions,” a senior government official told the Hindustan Times.
It is a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice to Foreign Minister S Jaishankar in the early days of Covid-19 to reach as many countries as possible. PM Modi and Jaishankar have also been working on phones as part of this effort to reach as many countries as possible; National security adviser Ajit Doval has focused on countries in western Asia such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Jordan.
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla is tasked with executing the plan.
Of these 67 countries, a senior government official said the government has already delivered shipments in 29 countries spread across the South Asia region, the Indian Ocean region, the Gulf (Kuwait), Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Armenia, Tajikistan, Ukraine) and even countries located remotely like the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. Six other African countries have received hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and acetaminophen as well.
“We have reached aid of Rs 28 million for these 29 countries. Shipments worth Rs 13.6 million are on the way, ”said the official.
A major challenge in reaching assistance to countries is transportation logistics, since international commercial flight operations are severely restricted.
That is why, the official said, India deployed the navy’s 5,600-ton landing ship, INS Kesari, to reach medical equipment, medicines and supplies to countries in the Indian Ocean region such as the Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles. .
The two medical assistance teams on board the warship will be deployed in Mauritius and Comoros.
In the immediate neighborhood of India, India has committed more than Rs 17 million to medical assistance, including essential antibiotics, Covid-19 protective equipment and test kits.
Almost 40% of the committed assistance has been delivered, the rest will arrive in SAARC countries this week, said an official from the Foreign Ministry.
In addition to medical assistance, India has also sent teams of medical personnel called Rapid Response Teams to Kuwait and the Maldives, is organizing webinars to train staff in other countries, and to extend technical assistance in other formats. To date, according to a government status report, India has so far provided Rs 8.3 million of Covid-19 assistance in this region to date.
Authorities said the acquisition and delivery of medical assistance to an additional 50 countries, including 28 countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region and 12 countries in Africa. Also on this list are countries from other regions, such as Madagascar, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Armenia, Jamaica, Uzbekistan, Malta, Laos and the Comoros.
India is providing 10 million HCQ tablets to 67 countries, of which 2.8 million have been delivered to 21 countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Zambia, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, DR Congo, Myanmar, Armenia).
More requests for additional assistance have been received from 13 other countries in Africa, 7 countries in the West Asia and North Africa region, in addition to 16 other countries.
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