INDIA committed to ensure availability of cost-effective & innovative healthcare solutions: Piyush Goyal

Ebangla Bureau

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that India will play an important role in ensuring cost-effective and innovative healthcare solutions for the future. Addressing the Asia Health 2020 summit hosted by  Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Piyush Goyal, also Union Minister for Railways, stressed on the importance of ensuring vaccines for Covid-19 at an affordable price to all, including less developed countries and poor. He said, this common attempt to find a vaccine for COVID-19 has really brought everyone together. Piyush Goyal, CA turned politician, said that ‘’our home-grown vaccine is progressing at rapid speed but at the same time, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, till we get a vaccine shot, we cannot be complacent about the pandemic. History will laud India’s contribution in the fight against the pandemic, he added.
Defending the lockdown in the country to contain the COVID-19 pandemic,the Minister said that WHO has often said that lockdown in India truly helped the nation prepare itself for pandemic and ensured that Indians come out of pandemic relatively better than many other developed countries. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the preparedness of Covid-19 vaccine delivery, distribution and administration at a high-level meet. Modi appreciated the efforts of innovators, scientists, academicians and pharma-companies in their efforts to develop vaccines and directed that every effort should be made to facilitate the research, development and manufacturing of the vaccine. Five vaccines are in advanced stages of development in India, out of which four are in Phase II or III and one is in Phase-I or II. Bangladesh, Myanmar, Qatar, Bhutan, Switzerland, Bahrain, Austria and South Korea have shown keen interest in partnering with India for vaccine development and use. In an effort to administer the vaccine at the first available opportunity, database of healthcare and frontline workers, augmentation of cold chains and procurement of syringes and needles are in advanced stages of preparation. An effective vaccination supply chain is being enhanced and non-vaccine supplies are being escalated. Medical and nursing students and faculty will be involved in the training and implementation of the vaccination programme.  Every step is being steadily put in place to ensure that vaccines reach every location and person according to the prioritisation principles, reports AIR. PM Modi has directed all concerned to work in collaboration with all reputed national and international institutions and regulators to ensure the rigour and highest global standards in Indian research and manufacturing. National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 in consultation with State Governments and all relevant stakeholders have accelerated the implementation of vaccination of priority groups in first phase. Image courtesy :Facebook