KABUL: The Indian Ministry of External Affairs, announced in a statement on Monday, that a six-day visit by Mawlavi Noor Jalal Jalali, the Afghan Minister of Public Health, from December 15 to 21 had ended.
According to the statement, the ministry conveyed that India, in addition to humanitarian aid, is committed to meeting Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical needs in the long term, as stated by Minister J.P. Nadda.
During this visit, the Afghan Health Minister met with Indian government ministers involved in foreign affairs, health, and traditional medicine, said the statement.
The meetings resulted in India’s commitments in humanitarian sectors, including supplying pharmaceuticals, cooperation in herbal medicine, symbolic donations of cancer vaccines and other vaccines, sending a large shipment of medicines and a 128-slice CT scanner, forming a joint health task force, establishing cancer treatment centers, and deploying a team of Indian doctors for capacity building in Afghanistan’s healthcare sector.
The statement further noted that the Afghan delegation visited several institutions, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), various hospitals, the Central Council for Indian Medicine, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation (HSCC), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and other relevant councils and organizations.
This is the first visit by an Afghan health minister to India in over four years.