Initial assessments flagged India as potentially the biggest concern after the Covid-19 outbreak, recalls EAM Jaishankar.
India proved the sceptics wrong when it came to dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, not just by looking after its own needs but by also contributing to the world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday (February 23, 2025).

“When the Covid pandemic started engulfing the world, initial deliberations – some of which I attended – envisaged India as potentially the biggest concern. Ironically, India not only looked after its own needs, but actually stepped forward to contribute to the world,” he said while addressing the 12th International Health Dialogue in New Delhi.

By the time the Covid-19 pandemic began subsiding, India had provided medicines to over 150 countries and vaccines to nearly 100 countries, he pointed out. 

Here are key points made by EAM Jaishankar to highlight the Indian government’s efforts when it came to assisting with healthcare around the world not just during the Covid-19 pandemic but even in the subsequent months and years:

  1. During the Covid pandemic, India not only looked after its own needs, but actually stepped forward to contribute to the world.

  1. India provided medicines to 150 nations, vaccines to 99 countries and 2 international organizations, as well as masks, PPE kits, gloves and ventilators.

  1. A large number of developing nations received ‘Made in India’ vaccines, either through the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative or other global programmes. This was in contrast to many developed countries, who had stockpiled vaccines to multiples of their population.

  1. Indian medical teams also went out in the Indian Ocean region to deal with pressing situations in some smaller states.

  1. Recently, India dispatched 66.5 tonnes of medical supplies to deal with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

  1. A consignment of 1400 Kgs of Anti-Cancer medicines was sent to help the medical capabilities of hospitals in Syria.

  1. In Afghanistan, India stepped forward with 300 tonnes of medicines, as well as dispatch of specialists to a hospital that it built in Kabul. 

  1. Indian diplomacy has worked with partners, big and small, islands and landlocked, close or distant, united in their desire to ensure a better life for the citizens.

  1. India has delivered more than 600 significant development projects in 78 nations, many of them in the health sector. 

  1. The private health industry has also contributed to facilities and capacities in different geographies.