Bill Gates says India's success with vaccination drive offers many lessons for world

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has praised India's success with the vaccination drive saying that it offers many lessons for the whole world.

Gates, who is also a philanthropist, met India's Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland earlier this week.

Taking to Twitter, Mandaviya tweeted "A pleasure to interact with @BillGates at #WEF22. He appreciated India's success in #COVID19 management & mammoth vaccination efforts. (sic).”

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"We discussed a wide range of subjects relating to healthcare including the promotion of digital health, disease control management, creation of mRNA regional hubs, and strengthening the development of affordable and quality diagnostics & medical devices, etc. (sic),” he added.

In response to Mandaviya's tweet, Bill Gates said “It was great to meet Dr @mansukhmandviya and exchange perspectives on global health. India's success with the vaccination drive and the use of technology to drive health outcomes at scale offers many lessons for the world.”

The coronavirus pandemic has wiped out progress on lofty goals such as ending world poverty and hunger in the next decade, but the economic damage of COVID-19 shows how badly such global development is needed, according to Gates.

India has fully vaccinated almost 88 per cent of the adults in the country after launching the world's biggest vaccination drive against Covid in January last year.

A vast majority of India's population has been inoculated with the Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and homegrown Covaxin.

According to a global development report by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has worked in India since 2003, “We have invested more in India than in any other country besides the United States.”

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.