india

Updated: Apr 22, 2020 18:46 IST

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the supply of 23 tonnes of essential medicines in the times of a global healthcare crisis triggered by the coronavirus outbreak. Oli described India’s help as “generous” and added that it will aid Nepal’s fight against the spread of COVID-19.

“I thank PM Narendra Modi ji for India’s generous support of 23 tonnes of essential medicines to Nepal, to fight #COVID19 Pandemic,” Oli’s tweet said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been lauded by several heads of states including US President Donald Trump, Brazilian President JL Bolsonaro, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Kazakhstan President Qasym-Jomart Tokayev to name a few, who were all grateful for India’s decision to remove an embargo on the export of anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloroquine and Paracetamol, which are in high global demand for their use in the treatment of COVID 19 patients. India has supplied several hundred tonnes of essential medicines to friendly countries across the globe.

Among its immediate neighbours, New Delhi has either already sent medical supplies to Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh or is in the process of sending them.

On April 20, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had thanked PM Modi.

“Thank you my friend Prime Minister @narendramodi , and thank you India for providing 500K tablets of hydroxychloroquine, 100K tablets of paracetamol, and 75,000 metric tons of wheat, that the first consignment of it (5,000) will reach AFG in a day or so, for the Afghan people,” Ghani had tweeted.

Several of Saarc countries are highly dependent on India for their medical supplies including Hydroxychloroquine. India is one of the largest manufacturers of this medicine.

The Indian government has allayed domestic concerns over the availability of the medicine as the outbreak peaks, by saying it had stocked more than double of the required and projected doses.

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Earlier in March, most members of Saarc grouping barring Pakistan had praised Modi’s initiative for a joint regional response to the pandemic by sharing of experiences, technology, funding and related expertise. PM Modi has often stressed on New Delhi’s unwavering commitment to its neighbours and friendly countries.

PM Modi had also told the leaders of the G-20 grouping that the world needed to keep humans at the centre of the global response instead of the economic targets while dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

The HT Guide to Coronavirus COVID-19