Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Thursday said that the Covid-19 vaccine has proved the “true friendship” between Bangladesh and India, while receiving 2 million doses as a gift.
“This vaccine has proved the true friendship between Bangladesh and India. We will fight against any disaster together,” he said. “India helped us during the Liberation War in 1971 and now they are helping us again during the pandemic”.
Bangladesh has received 2 million doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca Covid-19 vaccine as a ‘gift’ from India as part of New Delhi’s ‘neighborhood first policy’.
The consignment which consists of Covishield vaccine has been manufactured in Pune, India by Serum Institute and purchased by the government of India from its own quota for gifting purposes.
This is in fact the “biggest” such dispatch by India to any of the neighboring countries.
The vaccines were presented by High Commissioner of India Vikram Doraiswami to Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. AK Abdul Momen and Minister of Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque in a ceremony held at State guesthouse Padma.
State Minister of Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam was present at the ceremony along with representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office.
They expressed hope that the two countries would through such joint efforts defeat the pandemic and continue to partner for the benefit of our people.
The ceremony was held shortly after the vaccines were delivered with due protocols to Bangladesh in an Air India aircraft at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Serum Institute of India is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced and sold globally which includes Polio vaccine as well as Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hib, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccines.
It is estimated that about 65 percent of the children in the world receive at least one vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute.
Vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute are accredited by the World Health Organization and are being used in around 170 countries across the globe in their national immunization programs, saving millions of lives throughout the world.
High Commissioner Doraiswami, addressing the gathering at the gifting ceremony, said that in line with the discussions held during the virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, India has delivered the vaccines within a week of its roll-out in India.
India started the vaccination on January 16.
He said as part of the Neighborhood First Policy, India accords high priority to the India- Bangladesh relationship.