PM Modi pitches for SAARC visa for healthcare professionals
By Anish Kumar | First Published Feb 18, 2021, 9:28 PM ISTSpeaking at the virtual meet of 'COVID-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way Forward', Prime Minister Modi said, "Hopes of our region and world are focus on rapid deployment of vaccines. In this too, we must maintain same cooperative & collaborative spirit. Over the past year, our health cooperation has achieved so much."
In the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pitched for creation of special visa schemes for medical professionals and regional air ambulance pact for health contingency within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation member nations.
The initiative would facilitate the medical workers to travel quickly at the request of receiving country.
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Speaking at the virtual meet of 'COVID-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way Forward', Prime Minister Modi said, "Hopes of our region and the world are focus on rapid deployment of vaccines. In this too, we must maintain the same cooperative & collaborative spirit. Over the past year, our health cooperation has achieved so much."
PM Modi also said, "Can we consider creating a special visa scheme for our doctors and nurses so that they can travel quickly within our region during health emergencies on the request of the receiving country?"
"Can our civil aviation ministries coordinate a regional air ambulance agreement for medical contingencies? Can we create a regional platform for collating, compiling and studying data about the effectiveness of COVID19 vaccines among our population," he asked.
Further, he added, "If we focus on what unites us then our region can overcome not only COVID-19 pandemic but other challenges too."
SAARC comprises eight countries, including India, Afghanistan Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
In the event, Mauritius and Seychelles have also been invited to the meeting.
India's health secretary is chairing the event and each country will participate in one-plus-one format -- health secretary and head of the technical team in charge of Covid-19 management.
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