PAKISTAN, a country with scarce financial resources and a medical system lacking capacity to handle a pandemic that mutates exponentially, faces negligence by those at the helm in decision making.

We must understand that decisions about reopening borders and resumption of flights because of coronavirus, relaxation in lockdown, etc., should be left to medical specialists and scientists because they specialise in infectious deceases. Prudence demands that we learnt from experience of countries who have succeeded in containing exponential spread and not those who failed to do so.

South Korea and the US, both countries with sufficient financial reserves and scientific research, had their first Covid-19 victims the same day Jan 25. While the authorities in South Korea chose to let their medical specialists decide the plan to face the pandemic, the American political leadership chose to deal with it on its own, ignoring specialists advice.

The results are there to evaluate. South Korea embarked on a plan for extensive screening and lockdown, while in the US they wasted five weeks. Today, the US has become Covid-19 epicentre after Italy, Spain and the UK with fatalities rising exponentially with infected numbers highest in the world.

Sanity demands that we in Pakistan must realise that decisions to resume international flights etc., must not be taken by the clergy, National Disaster Management Authority, CAA or federal cabinet, but they must be left to the wisdom of our medical specialists and researchers who can seek the advice of countries like China and South Korea, and not the US. Allowing pilgrims from Iran at Taftan border and umrah pilgrims to enter Pakistan, or expatriates from Covid-19 infected Europe and UK without screening and mandatory quarantine, had its toll.

We cannot afford any further influx of those who are likely to be infected and pose a deadly threat of secondary infections.

A Pakistani

Lahore

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ACCORDING to a recent announcement by youth affairs ministry, registration for prime minister’s Corona Relief Tigers youth volunteer has begun. This force will be tasked to deliver food, identify those hoarding and to monitor suspected coronavirus cases at quarantine centres, etc.

It is expected that with the completion of the registration process on April 10, organisation, and necessary training and orientation of this force will be completed so that it can be deployed as soon as possible. With such deployment, it is anticipated that the prime minister’s argument that a complete lockdown cannot be enforced because it will kill more people owing to hunger than coronavirus will also be addressed.

The announcement also says that the force will lead the fight against coronavirus in Pakistan. This needs clarification. It is hard to understand how a force comprising youth with no relevant education or training, can lead the fight against this deadly virus.

Role of civil administration and military is vital, but since it is primarily a medical war, the prime minister should ensure that all decisions for combating the calamity are left with doctors, especially those who are specialised in dealing with contagious diseases.

The constitution of a national committee with such professionals from all the provinces/major hospitals may also be considered to help ensure better coordination in taking steps to combat the pandemic across the country and monitoring the relevant developments.

Dr Mohammad Saleem

Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2020