Dominica signs MoUs with India to improve healthcare access and rehabilitate the Chateau to Pierre Charles Boulevard Link Road in Grand Bay.
Dominica: The Government of Dominica has announced that it has signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs)--the Pharmacopoeia Cooperation and the Chateau Road Agreements - with the Government of the Republic of India to advance the country’s health standards and boost community development.
The signing ceremony took place during a formal meeting in Roseau last week as the Minister of State for External Affairs in India, Shri Pabitra Margherita, paid an official visit to the Commonwealth of Dominica. These MoUs were signed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade, and Energy, Dr. Vince Henderson, who represented the Government of Dominica and the Minister of State who signed on behalf of the Government of India.
According to the Government, the Pharmacopoeia agreement will allow Dominica to directly purchase medicines from India which is said to significantly reduce their costs.
Following the signing ceremony, the Foreign Affairs Minister was interviewed by the media, where he shared details of the signed MoU and its significance to the people of Dominica.
We also signed the Pharmacopoeia agreement with the government of India to allow Dominica to procure pharmaceuticals from India, generic drugs and of course supplies that could be in massively reduced costs. This could mean great savings for us and could allow us to deal with some of the challenges we have with the procurement of pharmaceuticals considering how expensive they can be on the world market, stated the Foreign Affairs Minister.
Vince Henderson further informed the media that the agreement will not limit the purchase of medicines to the Government only but will also extend to the private sector.
But the Government of India has given us the opportunity to procure directly government to government and to also facilitate the private sector if they wish to procure under that agreement. So, we're very happy for that because it means that it will it could bring some tremendous relief to our people and especially for healthcare, Dr. Henderson informed.
The Minister went on to speak of the Chateau Road Agreement under the India Quick Impact Project grant fund, which will rehabilitate the Chateau to Pierre Charles Boulevard Link Road in Grand Bay. Henderson stated that he is hopeful that the project will commence in the coming weeks.
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Cementing the importance of these MoUs, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit shared highlights of the signing ceremony on Facebook where he reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Republic of India, noting that it will bring ample benefits to the citizens of both countries.