By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 19, 2021: PRIME Minister Mr Narendra Modi on Thursday asked the leaders of nine neighbouring nations to create a special visa scheme for doctors and nurses and a regional Air Ambulance agreement to strengthen their COVID-19 "spirit of collaboration."

Asking the countries to raise the ambition further, the Prime Minister suggested creating a special visa scheme for our doctors and nurses, so that they can travel quickly within our region during health emergencies, on the request of the receiving country. He also asked whether our Civil Aviation ministries can coordinate a regional Air Ambulance agreement for medical contingencies? He also suggested that we can create a regional platform for collating, compiling and studying data about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among our populations. Furthermore, he asked, can we similarly create a regional network for promoting technology-assisted epidemiology, for preventing future pandemics?

"If the 21st Century is to be the Asian Century, it cannot be without greater integration among the countries of South Asia and the Indian Ocean island countries," PM Modi said as he addressed a workshop on "Covid-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way Forward" with health leaders, experts and officials of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka along with Indian officials and experts.

Praising the way the health systems of the countries cooperated during the pandemic with coordinated response, he added, "The spirit of regional solidarity that you have shown during the pandemic has proven that such integration is possible."

Asking the countries to raise the ambition further, the PM suggested creating a special visa scheme for doctors and nurses so that they could travel quickly within the region during health emergencies, on the request of the receiving country. He also called on the respective Civil Aviation ministries to coordinate a regional Air Ambulance agreement for medical contingencies.

Mr Modi proposed the creation of a regional platform for collating, compiling and studying data about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among the populations. He also asked whether it was possible to create a regional network for promoting technology-assisted epidemiology, for preventing future pandemics.

The COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund was set up to meet the immediate costs of fighting the pandemic and sharing of medical resources.

"We have not just shared medicines, PPEs and test kits but also shared an important aspect that is knowledge. The spirit of collaboration is a valuable takeaway. We have managed to achieve one of the lowest fatality rates," said Mr Modi.

He said the hopes of the region are now focused on the COVID-19 vaccines.

"Today the hopes of our region and the world are focused on rapid deployment of vaccines. In this too, we must maintain the same cooperative and collaborative spirit," said the PM.

India has so far supplied COVID-19 vaccines to more than 15 countries as part of the ‘Vaccine Maitri' initiative to help other nations overcome the pandemic. Some underdeveloped nations have been supplied the vaccine on a grant basis while some have requested to pay on par with the price that the Indian government pays the vaccine makers.