NEW DELHI: The external affairs ministry has announced a training programme on Covid-19 from April 17 for healthcare professionals from SAARC countries.The training programme will be carried out by the Central government's Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme."Taking forward @PMOIndia's vision on #PrepareNotPanic for #SAARCfightsCoronoa, @MEAIndia announces e-@ITECnetwork training programmes on #COVID19 for healthcare professionals for @SAARCsec countries starting April 17, 2020," the ITEC said in a tweet.At an India-initiated video conference of SAARC leaders on March 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that health professionals of the member nations could come together to jointly fight the coronavirus pandemic.Days after the Prime Minister strongly pitched for a regional approach to deal with the pandemic, India proposed setting up of a common electronic platform for all SAARC nations to share expertise and best practices to jointly combat the spread of coronavirus.