The Indian Embassy in Kabul on Monday handed hundreds of thousands of tablets donated by New Delhi to the ministries of defense and public health. India has donated 500,000 Hydroxychloroquine and 100,000 Paracetamol tablets to Kabul with the aim of fighting the coronavirus.

Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar presented the medicines to the minister of public health.

Public Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz thanked India for the assistance, saying that the historic friendly relationships between Kabul and New Delhi was an honor to him. “I would like to thank the government and people of India for assisting the Indira Gandhi child hospital in Kabul and hundreds of other healthcare facilities across the country,” said the minister.

China had earlier donated medical equipment and sanitizers to Afghan hospitals and the NATO-led Resolute Support mission donated some medicines to the Afghan army for prevention of the virus spread.

“I thank for everything, not only for medications in the danger of Corona virus. You (India) have always assisted us,” defense caretaker minister Asadullah Khaled said.

Afghan army and the Resolute Support mission will transport the medicines to the remote areas.

Healthcare experts call the Indian donation very timely, but stress over a transparent distribution.

“The donation of India friendly country will play a key role to fight the Corona virus. Afghan officials need to register the medicines in a database and report to the donors about the distribution of tablets.” Dr. Javed Safi, member of the counter-virus committee said.

The government has so far spent 15 million dollars to fight the virus spread. But hospitals in the provinces of Balkh, Herat and Kandahar are reportedly facing lack of medicines.

Nearly 1,000 people have been tested positive for the Corona virus and 33 of them have died and 131 have been recovered.