India exporting medicines to Afghanistan at minimal cost

India is exporting medicines to Afghanistan at a cost much lower than the pharmaceutical products of western nations to tap the healthcare market in the war-torn country.

Currently, 96 per cent of Afghanistan's pharmaceutical needs are met from overseas imports with a large part of it coming from India.

Cooper Pharma, a Delhi based pharmaceutical company, is among many Indian firms exporting medicines to Afghanistan. The company supplies a wide range of medicines to Afghanistan since 1993, including antibiotics, oral antibiotics, injections and syrups at a very low price.

Director of Cooper Pharma Limited Abhishek Bhargava said that the medicines coming to Afghanistan from the US and Europe are very expensive due the high premium charged by them.

"So, the second option there is Pakistan, with whom they have land connectivity. Production cost and cost of the medicines from Pakistan is quite high as compared to India. So with the efforts of the Indian manufacturers and Indian government, India is now gaining foothold in Afghanistan market and a number of Indian companies are operating there. Indian products are also better in packaging, better from the cost point of view and each company has a better range of products," he said.

India has been exporting medicines to Afghanistan since 1992. The export of 48 million dollars of medicines to Afghanistan is expected to rise by 500 million dollars in the next three years.

Bhargava further said that doctors and distributors in Afghanistan have a positive opinion about Indian pharmaceutical products.

"We are supplying good quality products to them. The packaging is also good, we are getting positive reports from the doctors and the distributors. So the popularity is spreading by word of mouth. We are also supplying to the government of Afghanistan. The products are in circulation throughout the country including major government hospitals, the ministry stores outside the hospitals and retail outlets owned by the government," he said.

"People are aware of the quality of Indian medicines so automatically the sale is increasing without any special efforts," he added.

India is not only exporting medicines to Afghanistan but is also helping in providing medical and technical assistance to improve the healthcare sector in the country ravaged by years of conflict.

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