New Delhi: India strongly opposed the proposal to adopt COVID passports by G7 countries calling the proposal 'hugely discriminatory' citing the slow vaccination and availability of vaccines in the developing countries.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who has been an invitee to the seven rich nations' summit of Health Ministers, said considering the vaccination in developing countries in contrast to the developed countries and still unaddressed issues related to equitable and affordable access, the proposal would be hugely discriminatory and disadvantageous to the developing countries.
India suggested that the decision on the COVID passports can be taken and be implemented after a coordinated understating of the effectiveness of vaccines and realising the issues related to the access and affordability of vaccine with the WHO's intervention.
Though the G7 summit that convened in Britain has agreed on a coordinated work to thwart future pandemic and other threats, no commitments made to make sure speedy delivery of vaccine doses to poor countries.
Meeting in Oxford in southern England ahead of next week's G7 summit, the ministers agreed on a new charter to deliver international clinical trials of treatments and vaccines.
The agreement aims to make it easier and quicker to share results from a vaccine and therapeutic trials to tackle COVID and future health issues, the ministers said in a joint declaration.