NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi insisted that India help out other countries that need hydroxycholoroquine rather than opting for a blanket export ban after ensuring that there will be no deficiency for demand and buffer stock in India.
Sources present in the meeting where the decision was taken to ramp up production of the drug and make it available for countries which had requested its supply said when officials pitched for an export ban, Modi simply asked for statistics on India’s future projected consumption in the worst case scenario.
This projection would account for use by patients, close contacts and healthcare workers — as currently recommended — in keeping with production capacity. “The PM said that he wanted to seize this opportunity for India and the world. ‘This is an important moment where India can save lives and we cannot let it go,’ the PM said,” according to a source.