The Indian pharmaceutical and healthcare industry is one of the largest and most advanced in the world

India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can be significant partners during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, both countries acknowledged during the ‘UAE-India Healthcare Conference 2020’ which opened on Monday.

Top industry professionals, policy makers and officials participated in the event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Invest India. The virtual conference was hosted by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi and Consulate General of India in Dubai along with FICCI and Invest India.

The event saw the participation of Indian Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor, UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna and Consul General of India to Dubai Dr Aman Puri among others.

Speaking at the event, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, Pavan Kapoor said, “India can be a significant partner in terms of the supply of pharmaceutical products and other surgical consumables to the UAE.”



The Indian pharmaceutical and healthcare industry is one of the largest, most advanced and well-recognized industries in the world, he added further.

Calling for more investments from the UAE, Pavan Kapoor said, “There is a huge opportunity for UAE to invest in India where 7 mega parks - 3 in the pharmaceutical sector and 4 in Medical Device have recently been announced.”



At the conference, both sides tried to shed light on the healthcare issues troubling the world and how solutions can be reached for the same. The sides discussed the importance of the cooperation of the countries in the medical sector to develop affordable and world-class services for common people.

UAE's Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna said, “The world requires a new kind of approach to tackle such unprecedented health and economic crisis, one that fosters cooperation & not isolation among all the stakeholders.”



COVID-19 has altered the dynamics of our global economic ecosystems, he said further.

Underlining India’s role in fighting the pandemic globally, Kapoor said, “It is expected that the bulk of the manufacturing capacity of India's vaccine manufacturers will play a crucial role in ensuring the widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine.”



Not just the UAE, but the world has been witnessing the vital role played by the Indian pharmaceutical sector in meeting the unprecedented demand for medicine from across the globe, he said further.

Both sides also cheered the bilateral partnerships in the healthcare sector. Addressing his fellow speakers, Assistant Undersecretary of Health Policy & Licensing of the UAE, Dr Amin Al Ameeri said, “We have great cooperation with India & we look forward to supporting any Indian pharma or medical industry to invest with us.”



Indian Consul General to Dubai, Dr Aman Puri highlighted the importance of such conferences in exploring new avenues for partnerships between two countries.



In recent years, India and the UAE have seen a surge in the medical exchanges and investments in the healthcare sector. The relationship saw an enhancement during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic where both nations helped each other with open arms. One example of the same was seen in May this year when India sent a batch of 88 nurses to the UAE to help the latter fight against the pandemic as COVID-19 cases saw a surge.