Daily Times

ISLAMABAD:Parliamentary Secretary, National Health Services Regulations and Coordination Dr. Nausheen Hamid Monday expressed that the Parliament was showing serious concerned over corona virus affected students in China and continued debates in the join sitting of the parliament were continued.

Pakistan was now fully capable of diagnosing coronavirus, after China sent approximately 1,000 kits to Pakistan to detect the deadly disease, she said while talking to private news channel.

She mentioned that four Pakistani students affected from coronavirus so far in China were being treated properly and recovering from the virus adding that Pakistani government after seeking permission from Chinese government and with following the standards of WHO will take the decision soon about these students.

Pakistani government is following the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and we had taken all preventive measures to control the spread, keeping suspects under observation and making a strategy to cope with the situation in case of emergency.

Nosheen Hamid said Pakistan is taking all possible measures to prevent the Corona virus from entering in Pakistan.

Scanners and information booths have also been set up at all major airports as part of preventive measures, she added.

She said hospitals and their staff are also being trained if any emergency is faced, she mentioned.

Dr Nausheen said direct flights operation from China have been started again, adding, all the necessary protocols have been prepared and thermo scanners are being installed at all entry points.

She maintained that no person had been diagnosed with coronavirus in Pakistan so far, she added.

Our vigilant medical teams will screen the patients at entry points. Any individual with the symptoms of Corona virus will immediately be shifted to isolation wards in designated hospitals and will be kept under observation for 14 days, she said.

She said the passengers coming via indirect flights and with travel history of 14 days from China will also be screened.

The ministry of health has also launched an awareness programs regarding Corona virus through print and electronic media, she added.

The government has assigned three hospitals in major cities like NIH in Islamabad, Agha Khan University in Karachi and Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore with specialized facilities of labs to diagnose the virus.

She said that health ministry is in contact with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Embassy in Beijing.

“Pakistani officials in China are in constant touch with all the students,” he said.

She also asked media for avoiding irresponsible reporting based on assumptions and rumours.