Union Cabinet approved MoU between India and Senegal in the field of health and medicine

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 February 2017 gave its approval for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Senegal in the field of health and medicine.

Besides, the cabinet gave its approval for setting up of a  working group to further elaborate the details of cooperation and to oversee the implementation of this MoU.

The main areas of cooperation facilitated by the MoU are -

i. Integrated disease surveillance

ii. Medical research

iii. Emergency relief

iv. Hospital management

v. Drugs and pharmaceutical products/hospital equipments

vi. Traditional medicine

vii. AIDS control

viii. Any other areas of mutual interest

India-Senegal Bilateral Relations

• Senegal is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Mauritania in the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the southeast and Guinea-Bissau to the southwest.

• Diplomatic relations between India and Senegal were established in 1962.

• Since then, both the countries have been maintaining warm and friendly bilateral relations sharing common values including democracy  and secularism.

• India and Senegal enjoy excellent relations not only in the political field, but also in economic and commercial spheres.

• They are both members of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) and G-15.

• Senegal deeply appreciates India’s cooperation and support for the development of Africa and in particular Senegal.

• Partnership with India in the field of urban transport, agriculture, human resource development and information technology has led to enhanced quality of life in Senegal.

• Senegal, being the leading francophone (French-speaking) country in West Africa, has played a significant role in the creation of TEAM-9.

• Techno-Economic Approach for Africa–India Movement (TEAM–9) was launched by India in 2004 together with eight resource-rich West African nations.

• The other eight members of the TEAM-9 initiative are - Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal.

• Many Indian companies are executing development projects in Senegal under Lines of Credit extended by India as part of bilateral and multilateral schemes.