Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inaugurating the first Global Innovation Summit of the pharmaceuticals sector on Thursday, said that India must think about ramping up domestic manufacturing of key ingredients for vaccines and medicines.
“This is one frontier that India has to conquer,” he said, adding that the country had a large pool of scientists with the potential to take the pharmaceutical industry to greater heights.
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“This strength needs to be harnessed to ‘Discover and Make in India’,” Mr. Modi said. He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had brought the pharmaceuticals sector into sharp focus.
The Prime Minister stated that the Indian pharmaceutical industry had risen to the challenge. “The global trust earned by the Indian healthcare sector has led to the country being called the ‘pharmacy of the world’ in recent times,” he said.
Stating that India’s definition of wellness is not limited by physical boundaries, Mr. Modi said the country believed in the well-being of all mankind.
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“During the pandemic we exported lifesaving medicines and medical equipment to over 150 countries during the initial phase of the pandemic. We have also exported more than 65 million doses of COVID vaccines to nearly 100 countries this year,” he said.
The Prime Minister envisioned creating an ecosystem for innovation that would make India a leader in drug discovery and innovative medical devices. He said policy interventions were being made based on wide consultation with all stakeholders.
Mr. Modi invited the stakeholders to ideate in India, innovate in India, make in India and make for the world. “Discover your true strength and serve the world,” he said.
