India is in a crippling battle in COVID-19 infections and deaths every day. With a total of 392,488 new cases and 3,689 deaths, the nation’s total tally stands at 195,57,457 as of Sunday. Amid this disastrous situation, India has declined assistance offered by the United Nations of its the integrated supply chain for COVID-19 related materials.
While talking to PTI, Faran Haq, the deputy spokesman for the UN Chief said India refused the offer saying it has a “reasonably robust system” to deal with the situation. “One of the things we did is we offered the assistance of our integrated supply chain if it was required. We’ve been told at this point that it’s not needed because India has a reasonably robust system to deal with this,” Haq said.
However, the UN also said that the made offer stands, and they are willing to help in whatever way they can. “Our people who deal with operational and logistical issues are willing to help if we’re needed, and we’re in touch with our counterparts in India to see whether that will be useful,” he added.
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HAQ also mentioned that the UN is in constant touch with India’s Permanent Representative to the UN TS Tirumurti over the COVID-19 situation in the country. President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly Volkan Bozkir, through Twitter, expressed concern over the situation in India. “I’m worried about the COVID-19 situation in India, a country which did so much to ensure #Vaccines4All in vulnerable countries. It’s time for the world to extend aid and support to India. No one’s safe until we’re all safe,” Bozkir tweeted.
India, meanwhile, is getting different types of assistance from the UN. This includes supply oxygen concentrators, nasal devices for oxygen supply, oxygen-generating plans, COVID-19 testing machines, PPE kits. Besides, it is also assisting in setting up mobile hospital units and providing for laboratories. WHO’s the office at the UN has also deployed 2,600 WHO field officers to support India’s health authorities. Several countries including United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, etc, are also lending a helping hand to India in its crisis.
