Corona comes to Pakistan
Pakistan has also become one of the unfortunate countries that are hit by the coronavirus. In the last twenty-four hours, two cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in two different cities of the country. It is a precarious moment for Pakistan — a country that ranks below one hundred and fifty positions in World Health Index. Bogged down in various socio-economic crises, the country’s health sector is already in doldrums. Medical services are not equally available for all Pakistanis. The rural areas are at greater risk where most of the people do not have access to proper health care and sanitation services. In such a condition, the outbreak of coronavirus should be a moment of grave concern for every Pakistani.
Apparently, it is quite clear that Pakistan does not have as much capacity to fight the virus as other affected countries have. Unlike China, Pakistan can neither afford to impose a health emergency in critical areas of the country nor it can install screening centers at every local level. Thus, fears are growing both inside and outside the country about how Pakistan would deal with the issue if it exacerbated.
Another issue is the lack of awareness among the population. A common Pakistani neither understands the gravity of the issue nor cares to get himself checked if the symptoms appear. Owing to the highly contagious nature of this virus, no delay in checkup is acceptable. Additionally, many parts of the country are underdeveloped and have unclean living conditions. Environmental pollution is commonplace in Pakistan that can further facilitate the spread of disease. A common Pakistani is not being properly educated as the media is doing scaremongering more than educating the masses about precautionary measures.
Another grim side of the picture is manifested today when the national media reported that the price of face mask has skyrocketed up to three times in just one day. It is shameful that the profit-seekers are making a cat’s paw of a national issue for economic gain. God forbid if the number of corona infected cases further increased in the coming days, what would these monopolizers do to the helpless people of Pakistan? Seeing this, it can be anticipated that the prices of related medicines would also increase to an unprecedented level in the coming days.
There is an immense need to clearly determine what to do next. A clear vision coupled with a rigorously deliberated agenda is required to explicate the way forward. Now it will be worth-observing that how would the crisis-stricken government of Pakistan cope with this evolving challenge. Meanwhile, the international community should also assist Pakistan to curb the outbreak of coronavirus. There is also a huge responsibility on the people of Pakistan who should behave more sensibly and all follow are precautionary measures to stop the spread of the virus. Although coronavirus is not fatal in more than ninety-five percent cases, its highly contagious nature should be the biggest concern for the policymakers in Pakistan. The fact is, Pakistan simply cannot afford a coronavirus epidemic as it would be a fatal blow to the country’s economy and human resources.
