ISLAMABAD: As around five million people have been infected and over 320,000 deaths reported due to the novel coronavirus across the globe, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on Tuesday called for coordinated, collective and sustained actions by countries and institutions to combat the deadly virus.

Addressing the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, via video link, he said no country could alone protect itself from the contagion. “Solidarity and unity is therefore vital to tackling morbidity and mortality to ease burden on the health systems, and support national and global economies,” he added.

The World Health Assembly is a supreme decision-making forum where 194 nations of the world converge to deliberate and devise strategies for promoting health and reducing disease burden.

Dr Mirza said that as a premier global health parliament, the forum must lend its full support to the ongoing preparedness and response plans and strategies. “The assembly must support growing calls for development and production of Covid-19-related diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines that are affordable, equitable and accessible to all. My Prime Minister Imran Khan has already given this call,” he added.

“Pakistan has reported significantly lower numbers than the initial international projections, especially considering that Pakistan is the 5th most populous developing country in the world. Despite these numbers, we are not complacent and are taking every possible step to combat this pandemic,” he said.

The SAPM informed the forum that Pakistan was implementing a National Action Plan for Covid-19 with a whole of nation approach, including at the highest level, multi-sectoral coordination at the federal, provincial and local levels. He said through that plan the overarching strategy of track, test and quarantine (TTQ) was being pursued and operationalised.

“We are training the frontline healthcare workers through our ‘We Care Campaign’, sustaining the momentum of public awareness messages, making available critical medical supplies to healthcare professionals and workers,” he said.

Speaking about the issue of Taiwan, Dr Mirza said Pakistan endorsed the statement delivered by the Chinese delegation and fully supported China’s efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. “In line with iterations of General Committee, year after year , Pakistan’s position is that there is only One-China and Taiwan being its integral part has no right whatsoever to claim the membership of World Health Organisation (WHO),” he declared.

The SAPM said some of the lessons learned from the outbreak of this pandemic included the need for enhanced investments in national and global pandemic preparedness, detection and response mechanisms, strengthening of core capacities under the International Health Regulations and improved pandemic response financing mechanisms.

“WHO and member states must take this opportunity to start imagining the future of healthcare. Current political global attention must translate into strengthened essential public health functions. More than ever before the world needs primary healthcare-based universal healthcare,” he said. “The world is bearing the fallout of this pandemic in so many different ways, including the spread of other diseases as those have remained relatively unattended.”

Dr Mirza also stressed the need for collective action for voiceless poor suffering through these tough times.

Meanwhile, 1,775 more people were infected with Covid-19 and 45 lost their lives across the country during the last 24 hours, taking the national tally of cases to 45,061 and deaths to 969. Overall, 12,489 patients have recovered.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2020