ISLAMABAD: The cabinet committee on Wednesday reviewed available stocks of personal protective equipment amid rising cases of coronavirus across the country.

The committee in its sixth meeting chaired by Adviser on Commerce Razak Dawood monitored stock position and national needs of PPEs. It was attended among others by Federal Minister for Production Hammad Azhar and Minister for Science Fawad Chaudhry.

An official announcement said that the committee reviewed the availability of stock of PPE items in the country in the wake of the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic and expressed satisfaction that sufficient stock of PPEs are available in country.

The committee has received no complaint of shortage from any quarter.

An official source privy to the meeting told Dawn that the committee only reviews stocks available with the national and provincial disaster management authorities.

According to the source, there is no mechanism to monitor the manufacturing or stock of PPEs in the private sector.

The manufacturing of PPEs has become a cottage industry in the country besides traditional textile industry shifted to manufacturing of PPEs.

According to the source, the N-95 mask is also being manufactured locally.

The government reviews the availability of stocks before taking any decision of restriction on exports. The government has allowed exports of PPEs with the ease in the first phase of Covid cases.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2020