Modi pledges USD 15 million to global vaccines alliance GAVI
   Date :05-Jun-2020

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By Aditi Khanna :
 
LONDON,
 
“Our support to GAVI is not only financial. India’s huge demand brings down the global price of vaccines,” said Modi. 
 
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pledged USD 15-million as India’s contribution to the vaccines alliance GAVI at the Global Vaccine Summit hosted by the UK. The summit, held virtually given the coronavirus pandemic lockdown around the world, was opened by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to urge nations around the world to pledge funding for vaccinations to save millions of lives and protect the world from future outbreaks of infectious diseases.
 
Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Modi said, “Our support to GAVI is not only financial. India’s huge demand brings down the global price of vaccines.” “In today’s challenging context, I want to reiterate that India stands in solidarity with the world. Our proven capacity to produce quality medicines and vaccines at low cost, our own domestic experience in rapidly expanding immunisation, and our considerable scientific research talent are all at the service of humanity,” he said.
 
Modi was among around 35 heads of state and Government participants, including US President Donald Trump, to virtually join the conference aimed at raising USD 7.4 million to immunise a further 300 million children in the world’s poorest countries by 2025. Modi pledged that the world can “count on India’s support” in the critical mission of vaccination against infectious diseases, highlighting the country’s role as the world’s fourth-largest producer of vaccines. The Prime Minister also pointed to the Government’s Mission Indradhanush, which aims to ensure full vaccination of children and pregnant women, as a sign of the importance attached to immunisation within the country.