India stands on the threshold of vaccinating each and every Indian against COVID-19, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Thursday, underlining that the country is looking towards a speedy and prudent return to normalcy while undertaking strategies to balance both health and economic stability of the nation.
Addressing
a workshop on 'COVID-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way
Forward', Vardhan said despite many constraints, India managed to keep its case
per million figure as well as the number of deaths at the lowest level across
the world.
"The
strength of India was that it adopted a 'whole of government' and 'whole of
society' approach. A nation of 1.35 billion people exhibited the strength and
determination to diligently follow the stringent containment guidelines imposed
by the government," Vardhan said.
"Today,
India stands at another threshold of vaccinating each and every Indian against
this dreaded disease. We have commenced the world's largest vaccination drive
and I'm proud to say that to date, India has managed to vaccinate more than 8.8
million people," he said.
"We
are now looking towards a speedy and prudent return to normalcy, whilst
undertaking strategies to balance both the health and economic stability of the
country," the minister said.
Vardhan
said India as a nation is already providing thought leadership to the entire
world in the sphere of public health, engaging in partnerships where joint
action is needed, shaping the research agenda, and stimulating the dissemination
of valuable knowledge.
"We
believe in the principle that the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard
of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without
distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition,"
he said.
"Our
unique initiative of 'Vaccine Maitri', which means Vaccine Friendship, was
launched because India's foreign policy is governed by its age-old maxim of
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam-The World is One Family," Vardhan added.
Health
Secretaries and Technical Heads of COVID-19 management programme of India and
nine neighbouring countries -- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives,
Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka -- took part in the
workshop.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address to the participants at the workshop.
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