NEW DELHI: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday said the Covid-19 pandemic has brought focus on India’s role as the pharmacy of the world.
“India has a world-class pharmaceutical industry that is the producer of choice for critical medications with brand recognition in all geographies and markets. The pandemic has produced an explosion in demand for drugs such as Hydroxychloroquine and Paracetamol, which are produced in India,” Shirngla said while virtually addressing the National Defence College on India’s Foreign Policy Options in the Emerging World Order.
The foreign secretary said India was able to supply large quantities of HCQ and paracetamol to friends and consumers across the world due to a coordinated response from several branches of the government and several pharmaceutical companies in the private sector.“India is also making its medical and public health expertise and capacity available to the entire South Asian region,” he said.
Saying that the pandemic has not caused a hurdle to India’s diplomatic relations and engagements, the foreign secretary said that various bilateral, multilateral and plurilateral platforms have been seeking India’s advice and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statesmanship.