India's Vaccine Diplomacy (अंग्रेजी में)

India is continuously giving Corona vaccine to its neighboring countries. All these countries are strategically very important for the country, it is believed that along with making India's indigenous vaccine, giving it as a gift to many countries is a part of diplomacy. That is, if the vaccine is made available to the needy countries today, then they can further strengthen India's position in Asia in the future.

 On one hand, vaccination against coronavirus has started in the country on a war footing, on the other hand India has supplied vaccine to 84 countries including its neighboring countries Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Mauritius since January till now. India has sent the GAVI vaccine to Pakistan through the International Alliance.

 Earlier during the pandemic, India had supplied diagnostic kits, ventilators, masks, gloves and other medical supplies along with medicines such as hydrochloriquine, remdesivir and paracetamol to many countries in large quantities. Apart from this, many countries of India are also running training programs to strengthen clinical trials in neighboring countries.

 Bhutan is the first country to have received a gift from the Government of India as a coveshield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India. However, Maldeep also got the vaccine on the same day. Apart from help, medicines, vaccines and funds to deal with Karona, at the request of the Government of Bhutan, India has also released an additional fund of five hundred and one crore to meet the challenges arising out of Corona.

What is Vaccine Diplomacy?

Vaccine diplomacy means, the use of a particular vaccine to strengthen the country's diplomatic position, almost all countries have been using this diplomacy so that economically weak or strategically important countries can be taken under their influence. For example, India has sent a large consignment of vaccines to countries like Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh.

China is also not behind in this matter, there the case of corona in Wuhan was handled, by then this infection had started creating a ruckus all over the world. In such a situation, China had sent masks and PPE to many countries, it is a matter of fact that the complaint of the poor quality of the mask came from many ears. Then the world heard a new word, Mask Diplomacy. Actually, China was trying to change the mind of countries around the world through such help.

History of Vaccine Diplomacy:-

The use of this word in history is as old as the vaccine. According to Professor Peter J Hotze at George Washington University, when a country uses its foreign policy by sending a vaccine to fight a disease spread in other countries, it is called Vaccine Diplomacy. This diplomacy proves to be more effective when both the countries use it forgetting their differences.

According to Professor Peter J Hotze, vaccine diplomacy between Russia and America was also used during the Cold War in 1956. In the year 1956, Russian virologists and American biogeologists came together forgetting their differences and worked to improve the polio vaccine, the polio vaccine was allowed to be used in America, its first successful test on millions of Russian children I went.

India's dominance in the vaccine market

India has its own dominance in the world vaccine market. Currently, two vaccines have been allowed to be used in India, but in the coming few months, two more vaccines are expected to enter the Indian market. India has been counted as one of the largest manufacturers of generic drugs and vaccines in the world. There are about 6 big pharmaceutical companies making vaccines here, apart from smaller companies who also have manpower and licenses. These companies have made vaccines for diseases like polio, meningitis, pneumonia, rotavirus, BCG, measles and sent it to the whole world.

Competition between India and China:-

Compared to India, China seems to be losing in vaccine diplomacy. As the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovec was earlier going to give more than one lakh vaccine doses to Bangladesh, but due to some internal reason, this could not happen, where India won in the case of emergency use.

 India's vaccine can be stored at normal refrigerator temperature and is therefore preferable. Explain that to maintain the effect of any vaccine, it has to be stored at a fixed temperature. The storage temperature for China's vaccine is very low and most poor countries do not have adequate arrangements for it. Because of this, China's vaccine diplomacy is weakening.

India's growing stature in global countries:-

India is also a participant in another initiative by the Covax & GAVI-led group, which does not include the US. They aim to procure 2 billion doses by the end of 2021, half of which will be given to low-income countries around the world, which they distribute to protect their high-risk and vulnerable groups, especially healthcare workers. do.

  As a world leader, India makes a strong diplomatic effort to share its potential and emerging technology for COVID-19 vaccines and their use, distribution, especially in developing countries. India's production facilities have earned it a reputation as a major supplier of vaccines to the world.

Covax Facility:-

The Kovax facility is an international agreement. Its purpose is to develop, produce and deliver the vaccine to every person. GAVI is leading this facility. It is a joint venture between Epidemic Preparedness Innovation and the World Health Organization. Under this plan, all countries and vaccine makers have to be brought together on a single platform. The Kovax facility is led by the World Health Organization and the Gavi Alliance.

Gavi (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) is an international organization, established in the year 2000. Gavi (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization) is a collaboration between the governments of many countries, the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Its purpose is to buy and distribute vaccines for the prevention of virus-borne diseases, including Kovid 19, around the world. It is currently helping to distribute the coronavirus vaccine to the needy by purchasing them. Its main partners include the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gavi plays an important role in strengthening primary health care and through this it helps to achieve the goal of universal health coverage under the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations General Assembly.

Way ahead:-

Vaccine diplomacy offers a unique opportunity in revamped international relations. Vaccine demand is global. It is being developed in only a few countries. Very few countries have facilities of large scale production like India and China.

It is believed that vaccine diplomacy can make a big difference in the list of powerful countries in the world going forward. For example, Pakistan is in China's court and there is constant tension with India. In such a situation, India started giving vaccine to neighboring friendly countries, but Pakistan is still looking for the way to China.