Commerce ministry to focus on pushing healthcare exports to African countries.

Keen to strengthen its business relations with the African countries, the Commerce Ministry recently had a high level meeting with the top officials of the Health Ministry and the Pharmexcil last week in Delhi.

The meeting focused on discussing strategic plans aimed at exploring growth opportunities for exports of high quality affordable drugs to Africa.

Sources from the Ministry informed that considering the huge lacunae in meeting the healthcare needs of its people with affordable medicines, the healthcare authorities from the African countries are intent on working closely with the Indian healthcare authorities.

Considering this, the commerce ministry wants to expedite the process so that India can take a lead in this initiative by supporting the African countries in their initiative to provide better healthcare services to their citizens by playing an active role in it.

This initiative comes as a follow-up to the on-going dialogue between India and the African countries pointing out to the growing interest in establishing a stronger bilateral trade relation between the two.

It is understood that providing access to high quality affordable medicines that are manufactured in the country to the patients across African nation will be one of the key areas of understanding between the two nations.

Reports suggests that the Indian government is eager to encourage Indian pharma companies to look into the prospect of intensifying its trade relation with them so as to improve the exports to these countries.

This they believe will not only help the African nations to address their issues relating to access to quality healthcare needs but also will help the Indian exporters to expand their business.

According to Dr P V Appaji, director general, Pharmexcil, “Considering the growing efforts these countries are putting in to address their healthcare needs, there is still a huge untapped potential that Indian exporters can try to explore that will boost the exports as well.

Most importantly, it is an ideal way for propagating 'brand India' in these countries which will further reinstate the commitment that India has towards providing affordable high quality medicines across the world.”

At present, India plays a major role in exporting anti-malarial, anti-TB, anti-cancer drugs and other life-saving drugs at a far more affordable rate to the cash crunched African countries. As per the data given by Pharmexcil, India exports over 16 per cent of total Rs.64,000 crore of its export share to the African countries alone.


Source : pharmabiz.com