Kabul, New Delhi Explore Expanded Cooperation on Medicines and Medical Supplies

DID Press: Afghan and Indian officials have discussed expanding cooperation on quality control, medical equipment, medicines, pharmaceutical raw materials and food products, with the aim of strengthening quality standards in Afghanistan and improving access to certified products.

According to sources, Hamdullah Zahid, deputy minister of public health for food and medicine affairs, led an Afghan delegation during a visit to a private laboratory in Mumbai, where the delegation reviewed procedures for testing the quality of medicines and food products intended for export.

The Afghan delegation was briefed on quality, safety and technical requirements and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in quality control, build technical capacity and draw on the laboratory’s expertise and facilities.

Under an agreement reached during the visit, the laboratory will prepare a detailed proposal outlining potential areas of cooperation. Taliban officials will review the proposal before beginning further technical discussions.

The laboratory also expressed readiness to support technical capacity-building. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health, meanwhile, will provide the information needed to make practical use of the facility’s technical capabilities.

The Afghan delegation also visited several Indian manufacturing facilities, where it examined production processes, technology, technical capacity and quality-control standards.

The meetings also covered the potential supply of medical equipment, food products and pharmaceutical raw materials to Afghanistan, as well as opportunities to expand bilateral trade.

Indian companies agreed to provide the Afghan side with detailed lists of their products so they can be assessed against Afghanistan’s needs and potential supplies of quality goods at competitive prices can be explored.