Daily Times

Amid a global outbreak of Covid-19, Pakistan is currently going through the ‘toughest’ days of its life since its creation in 1947. With nationwide tally of confirmed cases crossing 17,000, nearly 400 people have also lost their precious lives to this deadly virus so far. Punjab is the province hardest-hit by the infectious disease, followed by Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Despite all this loss, by comparison, the number of patients in Pakistan is nowhere near the tally in neighbouring Iran or most of the European countries. Thanks to a volley of aggressive steps taken to contain the spread of the disease since its outbreak, the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, by and large, has been successful in preventing an unconfined spread of the virus, which, if happened, might prove disastrous for the world’s fifth most-populous country that is already struggling with a teetering economy.

Amid this unprecedented challenge, the nation, government and the national institutions have expressed a rare show of unity and sensibility. The crisis has provided a rare opportunity to the nation to get united and wage a collective war against the monster. As our government and national institutions are trying their utmost to tackle the challenges unheard of before, there is still a long way to go in this fight against coronavirus. Good planning and timely decisions can not only save many lives even with limited resources but also help vulnerable segments of the society bear this crisis with dignity and courage.

As the federal and provincial governments scramble to manage the biggest-ever challenge of the country, they have to maintain a sturdy supply of critical medical gear, especially the Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), for the medical professionals treating coronavirus patients in hospitals or deployed at quarantine and isolation centres. The government also needs to implement frequent testing mechanism for the frontline healthcare staff as they are more prone to catching the virus. At the same time, accurate forecasting of critical medical supply requirements based on real-time and authentic data must be urgently ensured. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) needs to ensure early procurement and delivery of ordered medical supplies to enhance the capacity of the healthcare sector.

The food security challenges need to be mitigated through availability of essential agricultural support infrastructure and provision of required inputs. Agriculture sector should be provided with facilities and incentives to cultivate essential food items so that Pakistan does not need to import pulses, edible oil and other daily use food items.

Provincial governments must provide minimum one-month ration to the most vulnerable or missed-out communities, such as those living in far flung areas, by involving philanthropist and charity organizations through a well-defined and coordinated mechanism.

Since the start of the holy month of Ramazan, prices of almost all essential food items have skyrocketed. The price control mechanism needs to be strictly regulated by the state machinery during the holy month to keep inflation in control.

The government should engage ulema for convincing people to sit in Eitikaf during the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramazan at their own houses, instead of the mosques.

Observance of strict social distancing protocols during disbursement of cash assistance through Ehsaas Programme and provision of ration needs to be ensured to minimize the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

Overseas Pakistanis are an asset for the country as well as a major source of much-needed foreign exchange. The federal government needs to galvanize our diplomatic missions to lobby with the host countries to minimize the chances of Pakistani workers being laid-off by the companies.

Social media is abuzz with (mis)information about mistreatment of suspected cases at quarantine centres as well as the patients at various hospitals in the country. The government should urgently work to negate this perception of mismanagement/mistreatment at the quarantine centres through implementation of strict regulatory mechanism to dispel fear among the people. This perception can be highly counter-productive in country’s fight against coronavirus since people fearful of mistreatment at hospitals and quarantine centres may avoid going to doctors for testing even if they are exposed to the disease.

The federal as well as provincial governments must formulate a policy guideline for technical and forensic analysis of monitoring and surveillance devices donated by other countries. Strict implementation of burial protocols and training of burial workers also needs to be ensured.

The federal government should carry out immediate necessary policy interventions in banking sector, fiscal matters, public finances, social safety nets, SMEs and large businesses, commodity prices, public health challenges and role of private sector and the non-governmental organizations amid this challenge.

The government needs to implement policy-level decisions on a priority basis to have visible dividends. Close coordination and unity is the foremost requirement of any national-level activity as disjointed efforts may lead to paralysis at the execution level. The challenge is huge and unprecedented, and dealing with it requires every ounce of creative energy and close coordination. It is time to be focused and committed: every cloud has a silver lining.