PM Modi interacts with Bill Gates, discusses global response to Covid-19

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday interacted with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair Bill Gates and discussed the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
PM Modi and Bill Gates interacted through a video conference and discussed the importance of global coordination on scientific innovation and R&D to combat the pandemic, an official statement said.
The Prime Minister underlined the conscious approach that India has adopted in its fight against the health crisis - an approach based on ensuring public engagement through appropriate messaging.
"PM explained how this people-centric bottom-up approach has helped win acceptability for physical distancing, respect for front-line workers, wearing of masks, maintaining proper hygiene, and respecting lockdown provisions," the statement said.
Modi also highlighted how some of the previous developmental initiatives taken by the government - expanding financial inclusion, strengthening last mile delivery of health services, popularising cleanliness and hygiene through the Swachh Bharat Mission, drawing upon India’s Ayurvedic wisdom to enhance people’s immunity, etc - had helped increase the effectiveness of India’s response to the present pandemic.
During his interaction with Bill Gates, the PM appreciated the health related work being done by the Gates Foundation not only in India but also in many other parts of the world, including for coordinating global response to Covid-19, the statement said.
The PM also sought suggestions from the Gates Foundation co-chair on how India’s capacities and capabilities could be better leveraged for the general benefit of the world.
"Some of the ideas explored in this context included drawing upon India’s unique model of last-mile health service delivery in rural areas, dissemination of the effective contact-tracing mobile app developed by government of India, and above all by leveraging India’s massive pharmaceutical capacity to scale-up the production of vaccines and therapeutics upon their discovery," according to the statement.
They agreed that given India’s willingness and capacity to contribute to global efforts, particularly for benefit of fellow developing countries, it was important for India to be included in the ongoing global discussions for coordinating responses to the pandemic.
The Prime Minister also suggested that the Gates Foundation could take the lead in analysing the necessary changes in lifestyles, economic organisation, social behaviour, modes of disseminating education and healthcare, that would emerge in the post-COVID world, and the associated technological challenges that would need to be addressed.
PM Modi said that India would be happy to contribute to such an analytical exercise, based on its own experiences, the statement said.
Last month, Bill Gates had written a letter to PM Modi commending his leadership and his government's "proactive measures" such as lockdown and expansion of focused testing in combating the Covid-19 pandemic in India.