Polio eradication: India assures Pak of technical support

India, a certified polio-free country, today assured Pakistan of all types of technical help to eradicate polio.
The issue was discussed during bilateral talks between the health ministers of the two nations.
"Pakistan is keen to see polio eradicated from its country. We assured all types of technical help," Union Health Minister J P Nadda said after chairing the 5th SAARC meeting of Health Ministers.
The technical teams of both countries will make field visits to share experience and exchange information, he said.
A similar technical support was also committed to Afghanistan for supporting polio eradication programme, besides providing micro level planning.

"Indian will share experience with countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan and give all technical support needed by them. We are ready to train them, give full cooperation, interaction of information and collectively strategise to see that the SAARC region becomes polio free.

"We are ready to support them for polio eradication programme and whatever technical support is needed by them. We are also ready to help them in micro level planning. Their technical groups can visit India and we can also have field visits there," he said.
Afghanistan has also sought some intervention in the field of pharma, which the minister said will be taken care of. India has also assured infrastructural support to Maldives during bilateral talks with the country.

"They are interested in getting infrastructural support from us which is in process. Indian government is renovating Indira Gandhi Medical Hospital in Maldives. We have also assured them some equipment support and anything that comes in a formal way we will taken care of," the Minister said.
On the concerns raised by Nepal over the issue of snake anti-venom vaccine, Indian assured assistance on all fronts including hospitals, training of manpower resources and management and distribution of medicines.
"We will help them on all front including hospital, training of the manpower, management of storage of medicines and distribution of medicines," the Minister added.