India's healthcare system stands exposed: EAM

May 05, 2021 13:54

EAM Dr S Jaishankar at Global Dialogue Series:

-- Our vaccine production situation different from many other countries. On what basis Covishield was being made in India? It's Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, you can say it's British-designed product. It was made in India as vaccine owner saw India as an efficient production venue.

-- It was a truly international collaboration. When there is an international collaboration, if somebody gave you a vaccine to make in India, then you have to do your part, otherwise, it doesn't work.

-- It also came with support from the Covax initiative. So, there was an obligation to support the Covax initiative to give vaccines at a low cost to a number of nations.

-- Our healthcare system stands exposed, very clear that over 75 years we've underinvested in health. Maybe there were reasons, it's very easy to say you should've put in more money. Now that I'm in govt I can tell you it's not as easy as it sounds.

-- This isn't a defence of today's situation, I'm saying this for over 75 yrs. It is that realisation, that PM was pushing for Ayushman Bharat as we had reached a stage where PM genuinely believed we can't leave people to vagaries of private practitioners, however, good they may be.

-- But having said that, you have what you have at this point of time which is an under-invested health sector over many decades... In a crisis today, even though I have limitations, I have to make that extra effort, find some way by which I can respond to today's crisis.

-- We're running trains so that oxygen comes to population centres as production centres are very distant. We have been trying to purchase tankers from abroad. That is what my Missions are doing, they are looking for cryogenic tanks, for generators, concentrators.

-- IAF is picking up empty tanks, flying them back so that we save driving time. It's a difficult crisis but I can tell you we are giving everything we have & more."

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