India's health system is ensuring high COVID-19 recovery rates: PM

New Delhi: Declaring that India has “one of the best Covid recovery rates in the world”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday credited grass-root health care system in fighting the coronavirus crisis, which has so far infected over 10 lakh people and killed over 25,000 in the country.

Addressing the United Nations at the High-Level Segment of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the PM said, “in the fight against Covid, our grass-roots health system is helping India ensure one of the best recovery rates in the world. We are also on track to remove TB by 2025.”

“Be it earthquakes, cyclones, Ebola crisis or any other natural or man-made crisis, India has responded with speed and solidarity. In our joint fight against COVID, we have extended medical and other assistance to over 150 countries,” he further said.

This was the Prime Minister’s first address to the UN since India was overwhelmingly elected as a non-permanent member of the powerful Security Council last month. The theme of this year’s High-Level Segment is ‘Multilateralism after COVID19: What kind of UN do we need at the 75th anniversary’.

The mortality rate in India is much lower compared to many other countries, and also the world average. Globally, the mortality rate of the disease is about 4.3 per cent, while in India, it has dropped to 2.55 per cent now. The United States, which has seen the maximum number of deaths, more than 1.35 lakh, has a mortality rate of about 3.98, while Brazil, with over 74,000 deaths, has a mortality rate of 3.84 per cent. Compared to India, these two countries had much higher number of deaths when they crossed the one million infection mark.

Asserting that only reformed multilateralism can meet the aspirations of humanity, PM Modi said the United Nations was originally born from the furies of the Second World War and the fury of the COVID-19 pandemic provides the context for its “rebirth and reform.”

Noting that a lot has changed since its formation, he said the UN now brings together 193 member countries and along with its membership, the expectations from the organisation have also grown.

“India firmly believes that the path to achieve sustainable peace and prosperity is through multilateralism…However, multilateralism needs to represent the reality of the contemporary world.  Only reformed multilateralism with a reformed United Nations at its centre can meet the aspirations of humanity,” Modi said.

“Our motto is ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas, Sabka Vishwas’ – meaning ‘Together, for everyone’s growth, with everyone’s trust’. This resonates with the core SDG principle of leaving no one behind,” the PM added.

He also called for enhancing the UN’s relevance, its effectiveness, and to make it the basis of a new type of human-centric globalisation.

Referring the Covid-19 pandemic, Modi said India has always prided itself as the first responder in the region – a friend in need.

India was last month overwhelmingly elected as a non-permanent member of the powerful UN Security Council for a two-year term. India, the endorsed candidate from the Asia-Pacific States, won 184 votes out of the 192 ballots cast in the elections for the five non-permanent seats of the Security Council.

Held on an annual basis, the High-level Segment represents the culmination of the ECOSOC’s annual cycle of work and convenes a diverse group of high-level representatives from Government, the private sector, civil society and academia.