One million tablets en route to Oman from India

Muscat: One million pills of hydroxychloroquine, which is being used to treat the symptoms of COVID-19, are on their way from India to Oman.
The shipment will be cleared for delivery once all of the related cargo security procedures have been completed, said Munu Mahawar, India’s ambassador to the Sultanate.
“We received a request from the Oman government, asking us to assist with the provision of medicines to help combat COVID-19, and we were more than happy to help,” he explained. “We conveyed this message to our colleagues in New Delhi, and they then sent it to a special team that has been formed to look at and process such requests. They agreed to provide these medications, and the decision to send them to Oman was agreed upon.”
“The medicines that India is giving to Oman are the same as those which have been shipped to other countries as well,” added the ambassador. “Many governments around the world have asked the Indian government for medications to help against COVID-19, and we are of course happy to assist during these tough times.”
The ambassador went on to say that should Oman required further assistance from India, he would not hesitate to help provide it, with the Sultanate already importing many food products from his country to ensure that enough supplies are available in supermarkets for people to buy.
“Oman Shipping Company has operated dedicated shipping lines from India to Oman, providing many much-needed foodstuffs and other supplies to people in the Sultanate, and Oman Air is also flying its cargo planes to and from the country to provide goods,” said the ambassador. “We have very strong relations between the two countries and Oman is a valued strategic partner of India, so we will definitely be willing to help if we are able to.”
As of April 13, Oman Shipping Company has sent more than 15,000 shipping containers’ worth of goods through direct shipping lanes to Oman from India, and another 7,000 containers to other Gulf countries.
“To enable this process, the company was able to purchase and rent over 4,200 regular containers and 100 refrigerated containers that were stored in Sohar Port for the purpose of local import and export services,” said the company in a statement. “The company has the technical and commercial ability to expand and meet the requests of merchants according to the needs of the local market, and is now communicating directly with the merchants and importers through a commercial team from ASYAD.”