Thailand and India strengthen cooperation on medicine and vaccine safety
Thailand and India Form Joint Task Force for Enhanced Health Security
In a bid to bolster preparedness for health emergencies, Thailand and India have decided to establish a joint task force focused on supply chain resilience. The announcement was made following a meeting between Thailand's Deputy Public Health Minister, Dej-is Khaothong, and India's Secretary in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Punya Salila Srivastava, during the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
The proposed task force aims to mitigate potential shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies during health crises, a concern that became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic had disrupted the supply of key medicines, vaccines, and medical equipment in both countries.
In addition to this initiative, Thailand and India are planning to collaborate with seven other countries to strengthen health security in the Southeast Asia region.
During the COVID-19 outbreak in April 2022, Thailand received 200,000 doses of COVOVAX, a protein-subunit vaccine developed through a partnership involving multiple countries and manufactured in India. Conversely, Thai private sectors expedited the production and shipment of liquid oxygen containers to assist COVID-19 patients in India.
The two countries also have a history of academic collaboration in traditional medicine. They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard, and are currently drafting another MoU with India’s National Medicinal Plants Board to bolster Thailand's herbal industry capabilities.
Dej-is noted, "This cooperation aims to strengthen herbal medicine security, conserve biodiversity, and sustainably increase the economic value of Thai herbs." He also shared that India's Health Secretary had extended an invitation for Thailand's Public Health Minister to visit India to further strengthen bilateral ties.
The exact operational status of the task force is not yet clear, as specific details such as its formation timeline and recent developments are yet to be revealed.
In an effort to bolster not only health security but also the supply chain resilience of essential medicines and medical supplies, Thailand and India are planning to expand their collaboration beyond the joint task force, extending it to include seven other countries in the Southeast Asia region. This initiative echoes the economic partnership between the two countries in the health-and-wellness sector, as evidenced by their academic collaboration in traditional medicine, with a particular focus on strengthening herbal medicine security and conserving biodiversity.
