Senator A Rehman Malik, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, has reviewed the status of implementation on the 37-point recommendations of the committee with reference to Anti-Corona National Action Plan to control the spread of coronavirus in Pakistan.
The report received on 8th May, 2020, from the Ministry of Interior on the implementation status of Anti-Coronavirus National Action Plan proposed by the Committee was examined and he appreciated the efforts being undertaken by the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) to battle against Coronavirus pandemic in the country. However, Senator A. Rehman Malik has shown his dissatisfaction over the implementation of the SOPs, issued by WHO and NCOC for social distancing in the offices and public at large. He reiterated that the Committee, on Anti-Coronavirus National Action Plan, has already issued 37 point recommendations to be implemented by all stakeholders with full collaboration.
Senator A. Rehman Malik has stated that most of the recommendations of the Committee have been implemented by the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of National Health Services and other stakeholders as per their report dated 08th May, 2020, however, a few recommendations are under process for implementation by the other concerned department. He appreciated the Secretary, M/o Interior for his prompt action and pursuing the matter for implementation of the Anti-Coronavirus National Action Plan envisaged by the Senate Standing Committee on Interior in its meetings held on 27th February, 2020 and 06th March, 2020, in the larger interest of the nation.
Senator A. Rehman Malik, keeping in view the new emerging alarming situation, has expressed his apprehensions that the graph of Coronavirus patent will continue to rise all over the world in the days to come and unfortunately there is no vaccine or medicine available to cure the pandemic so far.
Senator A. Rehman Malik referred the statement of Director General World Health Organization (WHO), who has shown his apprehension that Coronavirus patients may go to above 200,000 during the next two months in Pakistan. D.G. WHO has confirmed the apprehensions of Senator Rehman Malik who had been constantly informing about the increase of number of patents of coronavirus.
Senator A. Rehman Malik has appealed the nation that the propaganda regarding no coronavirus is disinformation hence do not listen to this propaganda as coronavirus is a hard fact. He also stated that the government should dispel this propaganda.
He stated that according to WHO formula if one patient is infected he might affect 28 people around him and if the present figure of corona patients in Pakistan i.e. 70,000 is not quarantined properly, the figure of the infected person could reach up to two million (God forbid) by the end of June, 2020, according to formula of WHO.
Senator A Rehman Malik, has proposed the following steps for rural and urban areas to be taken under the prevailing situation:
Anti-coronavirus urban program: Ministry of National Health Services & Regulations should ensure temporary (makeshift) hospitals in the urban areas keeping in view the increasing number of coronavirus patients in every city, as the space and capacity in the hospitals is running out day by day.
Anti-coronavirus rural program: A Special Cell be created for the patients emerging from the rural areas and make all the arrangements of their treatments within the respective rural areas. Rural Population is contracting coronavirus rapidly and lot of reports are coming that there are number of patients in the villages which are going unchecked and without treatment. Hence the government should make arrangements to handle such a big number of patients It is therefore imperative for, government, M/o Heath, NCCA to ensure temporary hospitals in the rural areas.
Handing over of civil hospitals to Army Medical Corps: The civil hospitals for coronavirus patients may be handed over to the AMC (Army Medical Corps) to manage the increasing load of coronavirus patients in near future.
Enforcement of SOPs by force of law: Smart lock down cannot be maintained unless it is enforced by force of law hence Army curfew may be imposed for the purpose of enforcing the social distancing and other SOPs as per WHO and NCOC by public at large.
Establishment of NADRA data collection center for corona patients: A special data management team should be formed with the collaboration of NADRA and Statists Division to maintain the data of coronavirus patients for proper management and for future medical research.
Online education system: Ministry of National Education to evolve a special on-line education system which should not be expensive and an App may be developed by the I.T. Department to be available on the internet free of cost and the online system should be from primary to post-graduation. This App should be available for all schools, colleges, Universities, Institutions and Professional and Technical Institutions as we do not know how long we are going to suffer.
Senator A. Rehman Malik has stated that it is his heartfelt appeal to the government, opposition, NGOs, intellectuals that let us move forward with the prayer that Allah may save us from this deadly virus and he further appealed that let us rise above politics and work together at all levels to safe our present and next generations from COVID-19. He expressed his concern that as a nation we are not taking Coronavirus seriously otherwise we will have to repent on our non-seriousness.
Appeal to call all parties conference on coronavirus: Senator A. Rehman Malik has urged the Prime Minister of Pakistan to call a meeting of all parties conference (APC) along with the provincial Chief Ministers to build a national consensus on one point agenda i.e. “Anti-Coronavirus Steps And Way Forward To Fight It Out.”
Senator A. Rehman Malik has warned that the growing number of patients will become in a gigantic bulk and the government with the present limited resources and fragile medical policy will not be able to handle it. He stated that coronavirus pandemic is our national problem and hence let’s fight it with collective wisdom and national consensus.
