– By Yogitha Jammula
December, 2019, Corona Virus Disease identified. A domino fell.
January 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) declares the outbreak of COVID-19 as Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
March 2020, COVID-19 declared a pandemic [i]
The world as we knew, locked down. Sanitizers, masks, social distancing became the new normal. Health sectors across countries were set to face unprecedented challenges. While some had to tackle with the shortage of trained health service providers, others were helpless owing to the lack of access to medical supplies. Set to ensure the countries of the world were well equipped to fight the pandemic, the United Nations Secretary-General called for world leaders to come forth to launch a global rescue operation to aid the healing of the citizens of the world. This cooperation has been termed as ‘medical diplomacy’ or ‘health diplomacy’.
Any crisis warrants the rise of two responses – one, to aid their own, two, to lend a helping hand to the global community. Only a handful of countries across the globe have the resources and the spirit to align both. The producer of more than 70% of the world’s hydroxychloroquine [ii] (HCQ) – India soon assumed its role of pharmacy to the world and began exporting emergency medical supplies to several countries. India’s resolve to help its neighbouring countries was first expressed at the first SAARC summit since 2014 (virtual) wherein upon the creation of a COVID-19 emergency fund India pledged to contribute $10 million. Since then, India has sent 28 lakh HCQ and 13 lakh paracetamol tablets to 32 countries as assistance while drug supplies to 42 other countries are being made on a commercial basis [iii]. Indian medical staff has also been conducting online training for their counterparts from other SAARC countries.
The path to global assistance has however been a rocky one for India. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade, India had placed a ban on export of HCQ on the 4th of April, 2020. The President of the United States, Donald Trump cautioned India that its decision to not supply medicines to the US could attract retaliations. The ban was later lifted by the government. However, India’s decision to do away with the ban is backed by an internal assessment of potential domestic demand and existing supplies. According to the Government of India [iv] , 18% of the world’s generic drugs are supplied by India. Contributing about 50% of global vaccine demands, it is also a leading producer of vaccines in the world. This high demand is due to lower pricing. Post the lift of the ban, the US President Donald Trump lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and assured that the timely help will not be forgotten [v]. India has also reached out with medical supplies under commercial agreements signed with Indian pharmaceutical companies to several other developed Northern countries such as Spain, Bahrain, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Here’s an overview of the global outreach of medical diplomacy by India –
South Asia
India sent drugs to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Israel, Iran, Kuwait, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Through the Chabahar port India delivered wheat and medical supplies to Afghanistan. The first consignment of 5,022 MT of wheat out of a total gift of 75,000 MT from India to Afghanistan set sail from the Kandla Port to the Chabahar Port. 5,00,000 tablets of HCQ were also gifted [vi]
In Bangladesh, India delivered 30,000 surgical masks, 15,000 head covers, [vii] 1 lakh anti-malarial tablets and 50,000 surgical gloves [viii]
Medical supplies consisting of surgical masks, shoe covers, hand disinfectant/ hand sanitizers, digital thermometers, forehead sensor, disposable gloves, disposable surgical caps, surgical hoods, gowns, fumigation systems, glycerin, glutaraldehyde solution, coveralls, safety goggles and medicines were shipped to Bhutan. To Maldives, India supplied 317 cartons weighing over 5.5 tonnes of essential medicines followed by the dispatch of a 14-member rapid response team to help set up laboratories [ix]
The Prime Minister of Nepal, K.P. Sharma Oli has expressed his gratitude to India for the supply of 23 tonnes of essential medicines, 3.2 lakh doses of paracetamol and 2.5 lakh doses of HCQ to help fight the pandemic [x].
India had agreed to cooperate with Tehran in evacuating stranded Indians in Iran and promised supply of anti-malarial drugs to Malaysia.
Role of the Indian Army
The Indian Air Force fleets were activated to transport essential equipment and medicines. At least two warships have been kept on standby for quick deployment in India’s immediate neighbourhood. Rapid response teams have been readied/sent to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. A 15 member team comprising of health care personnel from the Army was sent to Kuwait.
West Asia
By supplying HCQ tablets to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Syria and Jordan, India has strengthened its ties.
Africa
As a part of ‘Africa-focus working day’, the Indian External Affairs Minister, in April, engaged in conversations with his counterparts at Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Uganda and Mali, and promised support and medical assistance. Subsequently, medical assistance was provided to another twenty African countries.
Latin America and Caribbean
To support Caribbean and Latin American countries, India pledged five million HCQ tablets to 28 countries as grants. Import duties on specific respiratory equipment from India have been temporarily scrapped by Brazil, Argentina and Colombia while Colombia, Paraguay and Ecuador, have done so on medical equipment such as gas masks and oxygen therapy devices. India had committed US$ 1 million grant funding for community development projects in Jamaica in the India- CARICOM 2019 summit. In honor of the same, India is set to be donating 4000 HCQ tablets as grants and providing 19,200 tablets on commercial basis to Jamaica [xi]
Conclusion
The COVID-19 Pandemic has presented the countries of the world an opportunity to improve ties with the nations of the world. India has time and again strengthened and renewed its friendly ties with the countries of the world. This has indeed given a boost to India’s soft power. However, it is to be seen whether India’s timely help to the US will weigh on in its favour in the context of possible future reassurances from the US regarding India’s export subsidies to its producers of steel products, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, etc. Besides its medical diplomacy, India turned the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity to reach out to countries to help evacuate its citizens from other countries, provide food grains, thereby emerging as a reliable and responsible global leader.
[ii] http://www.kiips.in/research/indias-drug-diplomacy-decoding-the-hcq-export-decision/
[iv] https://www.investindia.gov.in/sector/pharmaceuticals
[viii] https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/covid-19-india-gifts-bangladesh-1-lakh-anti-malarial-tablets-50-000-surgical-gloves-1671393-2020-04-26
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