It requires a much greater effort and more resources.
CHINIOT: The major indicator to judge a country is to check the safety and security of its citizens. This is the primary duty of the state. Now the whole world is confronting a pandemic. The situation is grim across the world. There have been nearly 400,000 novel coronavirus cases worldwide and over 16,000 deaths. The virus does not care about nationality or ethnicity. The situation should compel world leaders like US President Donald Trump to demonstrate leadership instead of escalating tensions. The best way to combat the virus is finding a cure and making a collective effort.
As compare to the West — where the healthcare system is efficient and the top priority is to facilitate and save lives of people — underdeveloped countries are still hopeless and fail to combat the virus completely because their priority still lies in economics and money.
It is sad and tragic that the Pakistani government and society did not take appropriate measures to stop the virus from entering the country. The truth is that our healthcare system is broken. But still most people are not taking this matter seriously. It is ironic that even during a pandemic they are taking this matter so easy. Rather than staying in homes to avoid the unnecessary interactions people are still going out by the dozen. Lack of awareness and certain social practices have led to a spike in the number of cases. It is very sad and tragic indeed. There is a need that we should seek mercy from God. No battle can be won without uniting the nation and bringing all stakeholders on board. Quick and clear-headed action is needed to deal with the massive challenge of COVID-19. It requires a much greater effort and more resources.
There should be a national action plan from the government to meet the challenge of the coronavirus. The government should enforce its orders efficiently to promote the safety and security of citizens. The media also needs to play a proactive role to educate the people. There is a need to transform the vision of government into action. There is a need to stay inside and save lives. In the end, it is hoped that the government will facilitate the people by having zero tolerance when it comes to the safety and security of citizens. I expect that the government will take more step to modernise the healthcare system. One hopes a clear course of action will become visible in the coming days.
Sajjad Hussain Nekokara
Published in The Express Tribune, March 27th, 2020.
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