India sends medical assistance to Wuhan
India has sent the first shipment of medical assistance to Coronavirus hit Wuhan in China.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced that an Indian Air Force special flight carrying around 15 Tons of medical assistance comprising masks, gloves and other emergency medical equipment departed for Wuhan, China on 26 February 2020.
“This assistance has been provided in the wake the Corona virus (Covid 19) outbreak in China and the request by China to provide supplies such as masks and medical equipment,” the statement released by the ministry said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had written to President Xi Jinping on 8 February 2020 expressing the solidarity of the people of India and the Indian Government with the people and Government of China and also offered assistance to China in this hour of need as a gift. The medical supplies will help augment China’s efforts to control the outbreak of this infection which has been declared as a Public Health Emergency by the World Health Organisation.
The assistance being sent today is also a mark of friendship and solidarity from the people of India towards the people of China as the two countries also celebrate 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
The IAF Flight will also bring back some Indian and foreign nationals from some of our neighboring countries who have sought assistance in traveling to India in keeping with Prime Minister Modi’s neighbourhood first policy.
India had reported only three confirmed cases of the coronavirus in it’s Kerala state in students who studied in Wuhan, the epicenter. They were recently discharged from hospital after recovery, meaning India is now in-fection free, Indian media Hindustan Times reported.
The latest data by the World Health Organization also shows India had no new confirmed cases as of Saturday, excluding the previous three reported patients who became infected while in China.
