New Delhi [India], February 23 (ANI): Guyana's Health Minister Frank Anthony has expressed deep gratitude towards India for its timely assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for providing vaccines that played a crucial role in saving lives in Guyana.

While speaking to ANI on Saturday, Anthony recalled how India did not hoard vaccines like other countries, even when India was itself struggling with Covid management.

'I think during COVID, the vaccines that we receive from India helped us to save many lives because at a point, although we were looking all over the world to get vaccines, it wasn't possible because nobody was willing to sell us.'

'And India stepped up and India was the first country to be able to give us the COVID vaccines and we were able to use those to give our frontline health care workers so that they can protect themselves while giving medical care to our population. So we are extremely grateful for this donation of vaccines and it has certainly helped to build a much stronger relationship because we are so grateful for this gesture and we know at a time when we got those vaccines, that India itself was having its own difficulties with COVID. Nevertheless, you didn't hoard like other countries did, but you are willing to share. And so we are extremely grateful,' he added.

Anthony further said that India is offering the most sophisticated healthcare and that Guyana is inspired by it.

'And we have looked to India because India has been doing so much work in terms of health care. And you have a whole spectrum of things that you can offer, from prevention and how to live a life of wellness to one that when people get sick if they need the most sophisticated type of care that is available here in India. So we are inspired by what you have been doing and we hope that we can in some little way relate that in our own country,' he said.

Anthony also stated that Guyana was pleased to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar from November 20-21, 2024, and 21-23 April 2023, respectively. He further emphasised that the presence of both leaders in Guyana significantly strengthened the relationship between the two countries.

'So our President also came to India on a state visit and we were very happy to host Prime Minister Modi and Dr Jaishankar in Guyana. I think their presence and visit helped to further strengthen our relationship and during Prime Minister's visit, there were many agreements that were signed. Among them, there were two that were in health, one of which Guyana has now formally recognized. So we are very pleased with the visit and we have seen that the relationship continues to grow. So we are extremely pleased,' he said.

Eswatini Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula said that their country is looking for partnership synergies with India, as India is way ahead.

'We value and appreciate the relationship we have established as a kingdom of Eswatini with India. We will be doing a lot of partnership synergies. Obviously, India is way ahead of us. We are looking at benefiting a lot from such partnerships. Going back home, we will definitely draw an MOU, probably a PPP service agreement, to look at areas where we can collaborate, probably in the form of maybe referrals to India for the specialized care that India is giving to the rest of the world, not just India. So we really value the opportunity to have interacted and strengthened the relationship between the two nations,' he said. (ANI)