Better late than never

After making temporary arrangements for screening and monitoring of suspected coronavirus cases, federal government has decided to repatriate Pakistanis from China. The issue was strongly agitated by the opposition political parties in the parliament, although government had delayed the evacuation of stranded people for valid reasons. At present 30,000 Pakistanis are residing in China and in the worst affected Wuhan city 580 students are stranded rill date. Besides this, hundreds of Pakistani nationals are waiting in hotels of Urumqi city of Xingjian province as Pak-China border at Khunjerab is closed. Flight operation has resumed to China after remaining suspended for four days since January 29. Flights between China and Pakistan had to be suspended after the declaration of global health emergency by the World Health Organisation because novel coronavirus had spread to 27 countries including the developed countries of Asia, Australia and Western Europe. The announcement of this emergency was inevitable to save the developing countries from the spread of this mysterious virus which has claimed the lives of 370 people in China and 17,000 people have been infected so far.

Now flight operation to China has resumed and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Dr.Zafar Mirza along with Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing received 69 passengers, who arrived Islamabad Airport via China Southern Airline. They included 57 Pakistanis and 12 Chinese. The arriving passengers were then allowed to leave for their intended destination after fulfilling screening formalities.

It is worth appreciation that a temporary screening facility for coronavirus suspects has been established at the air ports and blood testing arrangements are being  done in the National Health Laboratories Islamabad after the delivery of 1000 medical kits by China. According to Dr. Zafar Mirza, 199 health information booths have been established at various airports for the diagnoses of mutant coronavirus and National Health Laboratories function round the clock for necessary clinical tests, the reports of which are out after 24 hours. It merits mention that virology lab on permanent basis is yet to be established.

Advisor on Health services has claimed that authorities, with the help of China, have done proper planning to prevent the outbreak of novel corona virus in Pakistan. He said clinical tests of seven suspects for coronavirus came negative and screened individuals were allowed to go home.

Although no confirmed case of coronavirus has been detected but Khyber Pukhtunkhwa government has declared five northern districts sensitive because the Chinese engineers and technical staff, who are working on CPEC related projects in the province, will return soon. They had left for their country to participate in New Year celebrations which have been cancelled. The sensitive districts include Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Masehra, Abottabad and Sahngla. In lower Dir Chinese engineers are working on a hydroelectric project. Likewise, a Chinese managers and engineers run a coal based power plant in Karachi. Chinese nationals are staying in the Gawadar port city in Baluchistan.

The implementation of second phase of CPEC will bring thousands of Chinese nationals. Likewise, Pakistani national will visit China in large numbers in future. Coronavirus emergence in China in future cannot be ruled out. It makes the strengthening of healthcare system inevitable in addition to setting up Quarantine facility at least in four provincial capitals and federal capital of Islamabad in addition to creating state-of-the art diagnostic facilities at National Health Labortaries. The bitter truth is that it were the unelected government which had built fully equipped new hospitals and expanded the infrastructure of already existing hospitals. Ironically, democracy clamoring class of political elite, comprising feudal oligarchs and business tycoons, had done nothing for improvement in the preventive and curative healthcare system. Previous PTI provincial government in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa brought some improvement in the existing teaching level hospitals but ignored setting up new hospitals and expanding infrastructure of Category-B hospitals in districts. Let us hope, the incumbent elected government will prioritise the expansion and improvement of healthcare system.