Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday appreciated the resilience and adaptability of the nation to adjust to the new normal by following standard operating procedures (SOPs) and face the challenge of Covid019 as a nation.
Noting slowing down of disease progression, the prime minister directed to ensure strict implementation of SOPs, undertaking all required administrative actions to implement the strategy of smart lockdown, besides continuing mass awareness campaign to curtail the spread of coronavirus and specially prevent its resurgence during Eid-ul-Azha.
The prime minister expressed these views during his visit to National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on the occasion of completion of 100 days of its establishment. Ministers, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, high-ranking officials were present on the occasion. Provincial governments were also represented via video link, PM Office said in a press release.
The prime minister was briefed in detail about the current situation and the pattern analysis of Covid-19 spread. He was also apprised on how the strategy of smart lockdown had yielded results in balancing life and livelihood, keeping the economy afloat, addressed the issues of poor and the working class while containing the disease. It was highlighted that as per International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook, amongst a group of 30 countries, Pakistan has reversed the projected downturn from -0.4 to 1.1. From July 19 to May 20, Pakistan’s exports fared much better as compared to the exports from other countries of the region.
Prime Minister Imran Khan lauded the efforts of NCOC team in putting up a robust response to the pandemic and ensuring coordinated actions throughout the country. From daily monitoring of the situation to the capacity enhancement of health system and from establishing a credible database to better resource management and formulation of appropriate SOPs, the NCOC has led from the front in the fight against pandemic, the prime minister observed. He also paid tributes to all doctors and para-medical staff, emergency responders working as frontline workers against Covid-19.
The prime minister also acknowledged the role and services of healthcare workers, emergency responders and management team from all the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz said the smart lockdown strategy of Prime Minister Imran Khan against coronavirus succeeded as it created a balance and saved people from hunger as well as the virus. Speaking at an event at Polyclinic Hospital to acknowledge the frontline role of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff in the fight against coronavirus in the last 100 days, he said the world also followed the smart lockdown strategy of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The strategy of smart lockdown was succeeding in Pakistan and its results could be seen in Islamabad and other areas of the country, he said, adding in Islamabad 771 cases of coronavirus were reported on June 1 and now the number of cases had dropped to 113 due to the smart lockdown strategy.
He said the people can save themselves from coronavirus by followings precautionary measures and SOPs. He appreciated that people adopted the SOPs and helped in controlling the disease. “The efforts against coronavirus remained successful because of the balanced campaign. However, danger of coronavirus still exists and it is our national obligation to follow the SOPs,” he added.
He said National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has successfully and effectively handled the disease, adding the NCOC deserved appreciation for its 100 days of effort. He said the government through its Ehsaas cash transfer programme delivered financial assistance at the doorsteps of poor people with transparency and on merit, adding so far Rs 193 billion were distributed among 12 million deserving families. He said when coronavirus struck, the governments around the world were not prepared for it, adding as the previous governments did not focus on health facilities, there were only two laboratories for testing of coronavirus but now 129 laboratories exist to conduct tests and the government had increased the testing capacity.
Shibli said in the past all the medical equipment was being imported but now the Ministry of Science and Technology had even started to manufacture ventilators in the country. He said the hospitals still had bed capacity to accommodate new coronavirus patients. He expressed satisfaction at the recovery rate of patients suffering from the infectious disease and stressed that if everybody continued their efforts, time will come when number of patients will be considerably reduced and hospitals will be empty.
