Corona Warrior of the World: Understanding India’s Vaccine Diplomacy to Tackle Global Health Crisis

While the world community has been trying very hard to grapple with the devastating Covid-19 pandemic for the last one year, India has emerged as the ‘Corona Warrior of the World’ through its ‘Vaccine Maitri’ goodwill campaign. Believing in the civilizational old philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbkama, the World is One Family, India moved forward to save global population by supplying Made in India Covid-19 vaccines to more than 75 countries across Asia, Africa, Americas and Europe so far. Not only that, India also supplied hydroxychloroquine, paracetamol and other required medicines to over 150 nations since the beginning of this dreaded disease. And India has been doing this generous support despite the fact that it is among the world’s top most affected nation by this deadly pandemic. India also extended its global outreach by joining the United Nations-supported COVAX initiatives under which the agency buys vaccines from the mega producers and distribute to the under-developed nations across the continents.    

India being the largest manufacturer, producer and supplier of pharmacy and vaccines in the world, it has been aptly called the pharmacy of the world for hosting and ensuring resources, infrastructure and skillsets to meet the glocal health needs, cost effectively.

Though India boasts of many premier pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers in its backyard, Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SRI) and Hyderabad-headquartered Bharat Biotech have done pioneering works in this regard. Being the largest manufacturer of several critical vaccines, including polio, mumps, meningitis and measles, SRI has become the biggest vaccine factory of the world.

As part of the Vaccine Maitri diplomatic endevours, New Delhi has donated Covid-19 vaccine to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Srilanka and The Maldives maintaining its neighbourhood first policy. But, at the same time, it also dispatched vaccines to Morocco, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Mauritius, Seychelles and even far-away Brazil meeting the country’s request. The country’s goodwill gesture earned it huge appreciation and praise from the world community with many world entities like UNO, WHO and leaders lauding India’s generosity in the middle of one of the world’s most severe health crisis. Brazilian President Bolsonaro thanked India illustrating Lord Hanuman taking Sanjivani Booti to Brazil.

Recognising India’s leadership role in vaccine production, the USA, Japan and Australia announced in the recently held QUAD summit to partner India in boosting the production of Covid vaccines up to one billion doses by 2022, thus, underlining the importance of international cooperation to address global challenges. With multilateral cooperation and support, India exert more efforts towards curing the world of deadly diseases.

However, with second Covid-19 wave spreading thick and fast, India faces a daunting task at home to vaccinate and immunise a huge population as fast as possible. Given its track record and proven skillsets, India needs to increase investment on research and development to continue to lead by example from the front.

When most countries are focused on saving themselves from the unprecedented crisis, India is doing yeoman services by standing with the panic-stricken world, true to its age-old commitment to global family. As the corona warrior of the world, India is superlatively transforming its leadership role beyond its strategic sphere while at the same time maintaining its strategic independence at a time when even the so-called super powers are curbing export of the corona vaccines and raw materials. The Covid-19 crisis is a testimony to new India's emergence as a global healthcare power.