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PM Modi offers rapid response team and virus tracking technology to help SAARC nations
The prime minister’s offer of help came in response to several leaders of the south Asian grouping requesting coordinated measures including a joint mechanism, ministerial taskforce, etc, to thwart health and economic challenges.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday offered to help fellow members of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) in the fight against Covid 19 with technology to track the carriers of the deadly infection and expertise to contain it.
The prime minister’s offer of help came in response to several leaders of the south Asian grouping requesting coordinated measures including a joint mechanism, ministerial taskforce, etc, to thwart health and economic challenges posed by the infection that has taken over 5.5 thousand lives worldwide.
“We are assembling a Rapid Response Team of doctors and specialists in India, along with testing kits and other equipment. They will be on stand-by, to be placed at your disposal, if required,” prime minister said to Saarc members during the Sunday video conference he had himself proposed a couple of days ago.
Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had all raised the need for coordinated efforts while sharing their experiences and challenges during the conference telecast live on YouTube and government portals.
Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa had sought creation of a ministerial level group of Saarc members and said the country’s economy had been battered by the restrictions placed on tourism. Prime Minister said India could help member states with setting up of a coronavirus surveillance portal to track possible virus carriers which could help in targeted containment efforts in Saarc countries.
“We have set up an Integrated Disease Surveillance Portal to better trace possible virus carriers and the people they contacted. We could share this Disease Surveillance software with SAARC partners, and training on using this,” said PM Modi.
The prime minister also suggested the creation of a joint research platform to coordinate efforts for controlling epidemic diseases within our South Asian region. He said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) could take the lead in coordinating such an exercise.
The Saarc member nations together account for less than 200 positive cases of Covid 19 so far, most of them--107-- are in India followed by Pakistan.
