India to share Covid vax technology with 50 countries 'free of cost'

New Delhi, June 28 (IANS) India is all set to share 'free of cost' its Covid-19 vaccination technology with more than 50 countries from Latin America, Africa and Asia.

CEO of National Health Authority Dr R.S. Sharma made the revelation while addressing the 2nd Public Health Summit 2021 organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here.

Sharma said that CoWIN portal for vaccination is unique in the world in terms of portability, scalability and inclusivity and it is a citizen-centric platform, and that 300 million plus registrations and vaccinations with granular details of each individual are available on the portal with a very simple process of registration.

"More than 50 countries from Latin America, Africa and Asia have shown interest in our vaccination system and we will share the technology with them free of cost," Sharma informed.

In his address, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, Delhi called for a robust health care system in India with about 2.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as health budget. He also underlined the need for close collaboration between the Centre and the states on health issues despite health being a state subject.

Guleria further called for equitable access to healthcare in rural and remote areas, stressing "there is need for augmentation of specialised manpower and upgradation of health infra in the country".

Speaking on the event, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that Covid has strengthened Public-Private Partnership model in India's healthcare system with a win-win situation for both.

He said that this partnership between Industry and Public Health Experts can work on different models such as health care and diagnostics delivery, vaccine development, Research and Development, telemedicine facilities for rural areas and digital delivery of medicines.

The minister said that this partnership could be a game changer and will truly transform the health sector in India.

Referring to the world's largest free vaccination drive Singh said, with the delivery of more than 32 crore doses, India is the fastest country in the world to administer vaccines. This, he said, not only makes it the world's fastest vaccination drive but also makes it distinct because of the smooth manner in which it has proceeded despite the heterogeneous character of the country and a huge population of 135 crore.