India along with 62 other nations seeks probe into WHO's COVID-19 response
India along with 62 other countries is calling for an independent inquiry into the WHO's response to the coronavirus pandemic on Monday. A draft resolution proposed for the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) which begins today, demands an "impartial" investigation into coronavirus pandemic.
According to news agency ANI, an inquiry into the actions of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and "their timelines pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic."
"Initiate, at the earliest appropriate moment, and in consultation with the Member States a stepwise process of impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation, including using existing Mechanism, as appropriate, to review experience gained and lessons learned from the WHO-coordinated international health response to COVID-19," the draft reads.
European nations and Australia have been gathering support for an "impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation" of "the WHO-coordinated international health response to COVID-19".
Last month, Australia was the first country to call for an independent inquiry into how the coronavirus started.
Australia Foreign Minister Marise Payne said allowing the WHO to investigate the outbreak "strikes me as a bit poacher and gamekeeper," ABC reported.
"This is about collaborating to equip the international community to better prevent or counter the next pandemic and keep our citizens safe,' Payne was quoted as saying ABC.
However, the motion has not found the mention of China or the city of Wuhan where the outbreak is believed to have started. Other major countries named in the EU-backed draft include Japan, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Korea, Brazil, and Canada.
Coronavirus worldwide cases have crossed 4.8 million mark taking confirmed patients toll to 4,801,532 including 316,660 deaths while 1,858,106 have recovered, according to Worldometer figures.
