PM Modi Speaks With Scott Morrison: Initiatives For Equitable Access To Vaccines, Medicines Discussed

Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison and praised him for the quick and generous support given by the government and the people of Australia for India’s fight against the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the two leaders agreed on the need to ensure affordable and equal access to Kovid-19-containing vaccines and drugs globally. The Prime Minister called for Australia’s support in the WTO initiative by India and South Africa to seek a temporary exemption under TRIPS in this context.”

“Spoke with my friend Scott Morrison (Australian PM) to thank him for Australia’s solidarity and support for India’s fight against Covid-19. We agreed on the importance of ensuring affordable and equitable access to vaccines and medicines, and discussed possible initiatives in this regard,” PM tweeted.

https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1390596531351339012?s=20

The agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights or TRIPS came into effect in January 1995. It is a multilateral agreement on intellectual property (IP) rights such as copyright, industrial designs, patents and protection of undisclosed information or trade secrets.

During the call, PM Modi and Morrison also noted the progress made in the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership since the Virtual Summit held on June 4, 2020, and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation and foster people-to-people ties.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said that India India recorded 4,14,188 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours – the highest so far, along with 3,915 fatalities, taking the total number of cases in the country to 2,14,91,598.

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