India in strong position to develop medical countermeasures for equitable drugs, vaccine distribution: WHO official

Economic Times

Under its G20 presidency, India has proposed a medical countermeasure coordination platform to effectively deal with challenges of any COVID-like pandemic.

Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director at WHO Health Emergency Programme in Geneva, who is attending the third G20 Health Working Group meeting being held here from June 4 to 6, said the future of health and pandemic preparedness is stronger with the leadership of India in this meeting.

"We are discussing the pandemic preparedness and response and how to chart a future path so that we all respond better to the next pandemic.

"India in G20's leadership is highlighting this issue and talking about how we work together on medical countermeasures, how we make better vaccines and drugs, how do we get them to people quicker, and how do we make the whole system fair so that people who really need things get them as soon as possible," Dr Ryan said, adding, "India is in a very strong position to do that."

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