Time and again, in the last few months, PM Modi has said that India has emerged as the world’s pharmacy amid the covid-19 pandemic. His statement can be weighed by the fact that India has shipped as many as 58 million doses of covid-19 vaccine to as many as 70 countries.
In a reply to a question asked in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, said that 583.84 lakh vaccine doses have been shipped to foreign nations from India.
The neighbouring country Bangladesh has emerged as the biggest beneficiary, receiving a cumulative total of 90 lakh doses.
Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar including other North Americans nations such as Canada and Mexico Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and the UAE, Caribbean islands such as St Lucia and St. Vincent & Grenadines, European nations like the UK and Serbia, South American nations like Brazil and Suriname, African countries like Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda and many others have also received the vaccine doses.
Earlier, in a press release on January 19, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that “Immunisation programme is being implemented in India, as in other countries, in a phased manner to cover the healthcare providers, frontline workers and the most vulnerable. Keeping in view the domestic requirements of the phased rollout, India will continue to supply covid-19 vaccines to partner countries over the coming weeks and months in a phased manner. It will be ensured that domestic manufacturers will have adequate stocks to meet domestic requirements while supplying abroad.”
Currently, nationwide Immunisation programme is underway in the country with two approved vaccines — Covaxin and Covishield.
