India set to get assistance from 40 nations in Covid fight: Govt
NEW DELHI: India is set to receive support from more than 40 countries, mostly oxygen-related equipment and consignments of critical medicines, to bolster the country’s response to an “unprecedented second wave” of Covid-19 infections, foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said on Thursday.
Shringla made the remarks at a news briefing hours after two Russian military aircraft flew in 20 oxygen production plants, ventilators and 200,000 medicine packs, while three special flights from the US were expected to bring in raw materials for Covid-19 vaccines, oxygen generating equipment and oxygen concentrators.
“We are facing an unprecedented second wave of the pandemic. As of now, we have over three million active cases. This has obviously put considerable pressure on our healthcare system, on the capacities and resources that we have,” Shringla told the briefing.
More than 40 countries, including major powers such as the US, Russia, France and Germany, have committed to provide much needed items and Indian and foreign corporations are helping with procurements. Indian community associations in many countries too are pitching in to provide relief materials.
Shringla said India expects to receive more than 500 oxygen generating plants, more than 4,000 oxygen concentrators, more than 10,000 oxygen cylinders, and 17 cryogenic oxygen tankers. Biopharmaceutical major Gilead Sciences has offered 450,000 doses of the antiviral medication Remdesivir while India expects to get some 300,000 doses of Favipiravir from Russia and the United Arab Emirates, and consignments of Tocilizumab from Germany and Switzerland.
Shringla was more circumspect on the issue of whether the support from other countries amounted to a shift from India’s policy decision after the 2004 tsunami on not accepting foreign aid.
“I don’t think we are looking at it in policy terms, we are looking at it in terms of the situation that is very, very unusual, unprecedented and exceptional and we will do whatever it takes to meet the requirements of our people at this point of time,” he said in response to a question on whether there had been a policy shift.
Many countries are responding to the situation in India because New Delhi played a key role in providing essential pharmaceutical products and even vaccines in the earlier phases of the pandemic, Shringla said.
On the issue of accepting support from China, Shringla said: “We know that a number of companies in India are sourcing priority requirements, be they oxygen generators and concentrators, and some of it is being sourced from China. Cargo flights are operating...but I think this is part of meeting requirements in the most effective manner possible.”
People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that all international assistance would be exempted from taxes if it was approved by the government and routed to the Indian Red Cross Society.