India’s medical diplomacy in Gulf to stave off exodus
Sandeep Dikshit
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 13
India has stepped up its medical diplomacy with Gulf countries to stave off the possibility of a mass exodus of its expatriate population that would make its evacuations from Wuhan and elsewhere pale in comparison, sources say.
Reason for the move
Gulf countries together host over 50 lakh Indians, who send back remittances worth over $40 billion every year
The mammoth effort of evacuating all of them would eclipse similar exercises undertaken from Wuhan and elsewhere
Advertisement
PM Narendra Modi and senior diplomats have been in touch with all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that together host over 50 lakh Indians and send back remittances worth over $40 billion every year. In fact, sources draw attention to the PM speaking with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin-Salman as early as March 17.
When Indian missions reported signs of restiveness among expatriate community, the PM conducted Gulf diplomacy in two stages. While remaining in touch with Saudi Arabia, the dominant power in the six-member GCC, the PM spoke to leaders of Abu Dhabi and Qatar on March 26. This was followed by phone calls to the rulers of Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
Indian workers live in hutments and with a rudimentary public health infrastructure in all Arab countries, sources here apprehend there could be a clamour to get out, if there is a turn in Covid situation in areas where they live.
That is the reason behind India stepping up medical diplomacy. A 15-member medical team is already in Kuwait to train its medical staff and thus increase its capability to independently handle the outbreak. India has also lined up several of these countries as the first recipients of hydroxycholorquine (HCQ).
