New Delhi: Ever since India began rolling out vaccine from January 2021 to fight the covid-19 pandemic, the country besides serving its nation, has been playing a pro-active role in sending out vaccine doses in large numbers to other countries under the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative.
Till date, as many as 18 countries received covid-19 vaccine supplies from India, while another 25 countries are in queue to receive the same, as informed by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Former ambassador Vishnu Prakash views that India’s vaccine diplomacy shows what the country is capable of and its outlook in the international community.
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Former ambassador and India’s ex-high commissioner to Canada, Vishnu Prakash said, “India’s vaccine diplomacy shows what India is capable of and also shows India’s outlook. There are certain countries or country which profits from human misery. India, despite being a developing country, has gone out of a way to reach out to far and wide to immediate neighbours in other countries at the hour of crisis is highly appreciable”.
“This vaccine has a huge demand and in such times, the instinct is to either profit or to hoard. As oppose to that, to share the vaccine in substantial quantities, without charging anything from neighbouring countries that are facing difficulties in affording it, or to make it available at nominal prices to the others, is a ‘service to the humanity’.
It shows the constructive and positive contribution that India has always been making. It is a moment of pride for us to emerge as a World’s pharmacy. This vaccine is meant for the humanity and India has walked the talk”, the ambassador reiterated.
Further, expressing resentment on being asked if India’s effort is to outcast rival Asian giant China, former ambassador Prakash said, “What has been India’s track record for the last 30 years? He asked; have India waited for any other country to act, whether it was the Tsunami?
When India became the first responder in 2005 even before naval vessels were there in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Did India wait for anybody? he points out.
Prakash underline that the best part is, in the year 1964, India introduced the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITECH), where the country has been sharing experiences, learning’s and technologies, providing training to other developing countries, is this China-related?
China will do or not what they are meant to be doing; India will do what the country believes in doing. I think that there is no connection whatsoever. In my view, it is unfortunate if anybody wants to be drawing a connection, he stated.
Earlier today, in its collaborative effort to fight the pandemic, India sent a consignment of medicines for the people of Sierra Leone-a country in West Africa. The High Commissioner handed it over to the Deputy Minister of Health of Sierra Leone, Dr Amabara Jambai.
Meanwhile, a huge consignment of Made in India vaccines has been airlifted for Barbados and Commonwealth of Dominica, the MEA spokesperson informed via tweet.
In a major development, the war-torn country of Afghanistan has received 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine from India, the first vaccines it has received till date.
India had earlier gifted more than 20 MT of Covid-19 medicines to Afghanistan. Notably, India also has extended humanitarian assistance of 75,000 MT of wheat through Chabahar port to strengthen the food security of Afghanistan.
According to the latest figure, India has supplied over 55 lakh doses of vaccines to its neighbouring countries and its extended neighbourhood.
Last week, MEA’s spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said during a media briefing that India has so far supplied vaccines to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Brazil, Morocco, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Algeria, Kuwait and South Africa.
Over the next few days, New Delhi plans to gift 5 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccines to CARICOM countries (Caribbean Community), and another 2 lakh doses each to Nicaragua and the Pacific Island states.
Also, India's commercial supply of Covid-19 vaccines is likely to make them available in Saudi Arabia, Canada and Mongolia among other nations, he informed.
"External supplies of vaccines are an ongoing process, depending on availability and domestic requirements. In coming weeks, Indian vaccines are scheduled to reach CARICOM countries (the Caribbean), Pacific Island States, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Mongolia, etc," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said.
And as rightly pointed out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his motion of thanks in Rajyasabha earlier today, India has emerged as ‘pharmacy of the world’ during the pandemic and delivered medicines to 150 countries, ever since the pandemic hit the world.
India is the largest producer of vaccines in the region and about 60% of global vaccine production comes from India. Pertinently, WHO sources 70% of its essential immunization vaccines from India.
