Cambodia PM Hun Sen receives first dose of made in India COVID-19 vaccine

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday received the first dose ‘Made in India’ COVID-19 vaccine along with the First Lady and other senior government officials. Hun Sen was administered the India-made Covishield vaccine, which has been developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and is produced by Serum Institute of India. The Indian Embassy in Cambodia informed that the President of the Assembly, Health Minister, and Public Transport Minister also received the vaccine jabs along with PM Hun Sen.

Earlier last month, the Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh announced that the government of India has approved the supply of 1,00,000 COVID-19 vaccine shots to Cambodia. According to reports, the Cambodian Prime Minister had dialled his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in February, requesting the supply of vaccine shots to the South East Asian country. 

“The supply has been assured through the Serum Institute of India despite innumerable competing requests from partner countries and our commitment to our domestic population. The decision is a testament to India’s appreciation for Cambodia as an important partner and its concern for the health and prosperity of the people of Cambodia,” the embassy had said in a statement last month. 

India's vaccine diplomacy

In the past few months, India has stepped-up its vaccine diplomacy in the region and beyond by supplying COVID-19 vaccine jabs to partner nations, prioritising neighbours such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, and Seychelles. As of last week, India had supplied 46 million vaccine doses to the global community, of which 7.1 million were supplied as grants and the rest on a commercial basis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, India has emerged as one of the key responders to the health crisis, living up to its title of "world's pharmacy".