India has delivered a consignment of six ambulances to Afghanistan, strengthening healthcare cooperation between the two countries, according to media reports.
The ambulances are equipped with advanced medical equipment and will support emergency patient transport and healthcare services. Taliban Health Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman Amarkhel said the assistance would significantly improve Afghanistan’s emergency medical response.
The delivery is part of a commitment made during high-level talks between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi in October. During the meeting, Jaishankar had announced the supply of 20 ambulances as a goodwill gesture.
India has also committed to providing MRI and CT scan machines, vaccines, cancer medicines, and drug rehabilitation materials through UNODC, with further assistance under consideration.
Earlier this month, Afghanistan’s Public Health Minister Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali met Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda in New Delhi to discuss expanding healthcare cooperation, including capacity building, medical visas, cancer treatment, and medicine supply.
Nadda reaffirmed India’s commitment to supporting the Afghan people and confirmed that medicines, vaccines, and a CT scan machine would soon be sent to a children’s hospital in Kabul. India has supplied 327 tonnes of medicines and vaccines to Afghanistan over the past four years.
