India takes part in Pak-hosted Saarc video meet, shares info on corona war

NEW DELHI: The Director General of Health Services represented India at the video conference of Saarc health ministers on Covid-19 hosted by Pakistan on Thursday. Most other Saarc countries were represented at the official level.
This event followed India’s earlier initiative of hosting a video conference of senior health professionals on March 26, which had proved to be a productive and outcome-oriented exercise to promote greater regional cooperation against Covid-19, said the government in a statement.
"On India’s part, building on the briefing made at the March 26 video conference, a detailed account was presented on India’s comprehensive response to the current Covid-19 situation, including India stepping up production of essential materials and medicines and enhancing capabilities in research on drugs and vaccines," said the government.
At the meeting, India also highlighted the "successful use and promising future" of new and innovative technology-based solutions such as the mobile app ‘Aarogya Setu’ to maximise community outreach and intervention.
"The sentiment of cooperation and solidarity in the region intensified by Prime Minister Modi’s video conference with Saarc leaders on March 15 has led to much progress in the fight against Covid-19 through a series of concrete follow-up measures aimed at easing the suffering of the people in the region. The setting up and use of Saarc Covid-19 Emergency Fund, creation of a dedicated website developed by Saarc Disaster Management Centre (SDMC-IU) Gandhinagar and promotion of stand-alone networking of health and trade officials for their interaction in real time are among the visible practical steps," said the government.
India has developed an electronic platform, ‘Saarc Covid-19 Information Exchange Platform’ for use by all Saarc countries. As the next major step, the platform will be launched for exchange of specialized information and tools on Covid-19 among designated health professionals in the region.