Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the exchange of Covid-related medicines and medical equipment between Bangladesh and India during the surge of the pandemic has been considered a role-model of ‘good neighbourhood’ diplomacy. “The whole world has seen how two neighbours support each other and work together during the time of crisis,” she said in a video message to the inaugural ceremony of the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) at Jamnagar in the Indian state of Gujrat. Also read: Expedite work on Sheikh Hasina Nakshipalli Jamalpur project: JS body She said that better outcome in ensuring basic healthcare for all is expected if the traditional medicine is practiced in tandem with the modern medicine. “I believe, if the traditional medicine is practiced in tandem with the modern medicine, we may expect better outcome in ensuring basic healthcare for all, as envisioned in the SDG goal 3,” she said. The prime minister also said that emergence of Covid-19 pandemic has showed the need to revisit our focus in ensuring good health and well-being of the people. She expressed confidence that the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine will emerge as a global hub for evidence-based research and standards for traditional medicine. She appreciated the Centre’s strategic focus on sustainability, equity and innovation. “It is important that the ancient knowledge-base of traditional medicine be combined with modern science and technologies to optimize its benefits,” she said. In Bangladesh,  Hasina said, traditional medicine has always been a part of its history and cultural tradition. "Our government integrated traditional medicine into our National Health Policy of 2011," she mentioned. “We have officially recognized the potential contribution of Unani, Ayurvedic and Homeopathic medical services to our efforts in achieving SDG-3,” she said. She said that there are 73 institutes in Bangladesh that offer four-year diploma courses and four colleges that provide Bachelor degrees in traditional medicines. In addition to offering outpatient services by traditional medicine experts, most of the district and sub-district level public health facilities are equipped with medicinal plant gardens, she added. She mentioned that Bangladesh is looking forward to partnering with the Global Centre on critical issues like quality control, curriculum development and regulatory standards. “We shall positively consider joint medical research projects in areas of our mutual interest," the PM said. She said that the efforts of the government of India, under the dynamic leadership Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic and achieving massive vaccination coverage are really commendable. She mentioned that Bangladesh has also successfully controlled the pandemic and the first dose of vaccine covered 100 per cent of the targeted population while second dose 97 per cent. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and WHO director-general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus also spoke at the programme that held in Gujarat’s Jamnagar in India.  The WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) is a knowledge centre for traditional medicine. As part of WHO’s overall traditional medicine strategy, it has a strategic focus on evidence and learning, data and analytics, sustainability and equity, and innovation and technology to optimize the contribution of traditional medicine to global health and sustainable development. Also read: Hasina on board with other leaders for Guterres-led crisis management group At the same time, respect for local heritages, resources and rights is a guiding principle. Now being established with the support of the Government of India, the Centre reflects the WHO Director-General’s leadership vision that harnessing the potential of traditional medicine would be a game changer for health when founded on evidence, innovation and sustainability. India is supporting the establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat as a global good and in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kudumbakam: the world is one family, according to the documents on the facility.

World Trade Organization (WTO) members will on June 30 begin talks on the scope and coverage of the waiver of provisions of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (Trips) agreement proposed by India and South Africa for Covid-related medicines. At the informal meeting of the Trips Council on Thursday, it was also decided that other issues such as duration and implementation of the waiver will be discussed at a later stage depending on the first stage of talks, officials said. Read:WTO to start Covid-19 vaccine supply negotiations amid clash on patents Differences remain on how to ensure rapid and equitable access to vaccines and Covid-related medical products for all as the European Union and a few others are still opposing a revised proposal by India and South Africa seeking patent waivers on Covid-related medical products for three years, with a provision to review the duration annually. “There was agreement on regular Trips Council sessions to push negotiations,” said an official. The meeting was the first after the WTO members agreed to engage in text-based discussions on the proposal for waiver of intellectual protection rights for Covid medication. At the Thursday meeting, the US expressed doubts about starting a discussion on the scope of the waiver instead of focusing on common objectives and said some proposals could be very expensive as they unfold over the next 5-10 years. Read:WTO panel considers easing protections on COVID-19 vaccines The discussions on the proposal will continue on July 6, 14 and 20 between which meetings among small groups would be held. The first consultation period will start soon, leading up to the first open-ended session and stock taking meeting on June 30. The General Council of the WTO will check the progress of the negotiations on July 27-28, instead of July 21-22 as planned earlier, the official said. EU seeks parity The European Union, which has backed the use of flexibilities within existing frameworks such as compulsory licences instead of new ones, sought its submission to be treated on a par with the waiver proposal though India and South Africa argued that the two be discussed separately in parallel tracks. “While the India and South Africa proposal is based on Article 9 of the WTO Agreement, what the EU has made is not a formal proposal. They can’t be treated equally,” said an expert on WTO issues. Read:World trade primed for strong but uneven recovery after Covid-19 shock: WTO South Africa argued that from the legal point of view of the discussions, the waiver proposal and the communication by the EU should be addressed on different tracks. This article was first published on The Economic Times