At G20, India pitches for waiver of IPR on Covid vaccines

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal. Credit: PTI Photo

India, on Tuesday, pitched for waiver of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. It also sought the dismantling of new trade barriers like vaccine differentiations or Covid passports, which impose restrictions on the movement of personnel needed for delivering critical services.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, in his address to G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial meeting in Naples (Italy), raised the issue of vaccine equity and other Covid-related health products by ensuring quick resolution of the supply-side constraints.

“Our response to the pandemic needs to ensure equitable access to vaccines and other Covid-19 related health products by ensuring quick resolution of the supply-side constraints. One of the ways to demonstrate this is by accepting the TRIPS waiver proposal,” Goyal said in his address.

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“Covid-19 crisis is a powerful reminder of our inter-connectedness, and the need for a coordinated global strategy to overcome such an unprecedented public health situation,” he said, underlining the need for an early universal vaccination against the pandemic.

Last year, India and South Africa had put forward a proposal for waiving certain sections of the TRIPS agreement, including copyrights, patents, to help low and middle-income nations access Covid-19 vaccines and other medical products. No decision has been taken on the issue. India expects a positive outcome on the issue in the upcoming WTO ministerial conference next month.

Apart from focusing on facilitating the free flow of goods, Goyal also invited G20 countries to join in efforts to make health services accessible and more affordable by the citizens of the world by enabling the free flow of health services.

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“As a quick response to the pandemic, I am happy to inform that our telemedicine initiative “e Sanjeevani”, has been serving millions of Indians. I am happy to offer it to the entire world”.

Last year the government launched its telemedicine service or “e-Sanjeevani” to facilitate health services to patients confined in their homes.

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