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Business News/ News / India/  Govt holds discussions with Covid vaccine makers, senior officials to ensure vaccine availability
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Govt holds discussions with Covid vaccine makers, senior officials to ensure vaccine availability

'The world must support India, as India helps the world,' Jaishankar said in a third post amidst problems faced by vaccine manufacturers in India

Earlier this week Jaishankar said that he was in touch with some 'big' countries to ensure that supply chains for the manufacture of vaccines were kept open (AFP)Premium
Earlier this week Jaishankar said that he was in touch with some 'big' countries to ensure that supply chains for the manufacture of vaccines were kept open (AFP)

NEW DELHI: Indian Foreign minister S Jaishankar held discussions with senior officials and vaccine makers to unplug supply chain bottlenecks to ensure adequate availability of vaccines as India struggled to control a ferocious resurgence of covid-19 infections.

The meeting came hours after a US State Department official said that the Biden administration’s first priority was the American people when asked about India’s request of lifting restrictions on the export of critical components required for vaccine manufacture. Mint has learnt that while the export of components have not completely stopped, there is a lag between the time the exports take place to India. In some cases, the components were lesser in quantity than sought.

“Held consultations along with my colleague @mansukhmandviya and our Secretaries with the Indian vaccine industry," Jaishankar said in a Twitter post after the meeting held virtually on Friday. Mansukh Mandaviya, minister for ports and shipping and chemicals and fertilisers was also present at the meeting.

“Our Ambassadors in the US, Germany and EU were also on the call," Jaishankar said in a second tweet referring to Taranjit Sandhu, Mukta Tomar and Santosh Jha respectively. “We have been working over the last few weeks to address supply chain issues faced by our pharma industry. Appreciated the updates and insights provided today," Jaishankar said in the same post.

“Will strive to ensure that our supply chains are as smooth as possible in a difficult global situation. The world must support India, as India helps the world," Jaishankar said in a third post.

Vaccine manufacturers in India like the Serum Institute have been airing difficulties that have been facing with uncertain supplies of critical components needed to manufacture vaccines including the Oxford-AstraZeneca developed and Serum Institute manufactured Covishield. According to one of the people in the know of the matter, while exports of the critical components have not stopped completely, the vaccine manufacturers were facing longer timelines in the procurements and the supplies were in lesser quantities than demanded. Under the 1950 Defence Production Act, the US president can order US industry to cater to domestic needs and demands first.

Serum Institute’s Adar Poonawalla was one of those present at Jaishankar’s meeting on Friday according to pictures posted on Twitter.

When asked when the Biden administration would decide on India’s request to lift a ban on the export of vaccine raw materials, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said: “...the United States first and foremost is engaged in an ambitious and effective and, so far, successful effort to vaccinate the American people."

As for the rest of the world, “We will, of course, always do as much as we can, consistent with our first obligation," he said, according to PTI.

Earlier this week Jaishankar said that he was in touch with some “big" countries to ensure that supply chains for the manufacture of vaccines were kept open.

Meanwhile the Indian defence ministry in a statement said the Armed Forces Medical Services were importing 23 oxygen generation plants besides containers amid a shortage of oxygen in the country’s major hospitals from Germany.

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Published: 23 Apr 2021, 09:10 PM IST
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