Information causality

Letter June 24, 2020
It is our responsibility to collectively curb the malpractice of illegal storage and sale of medicines

ISLAMABAD: Technological advancements over the past decade have given people access to a plethora of information. However, such power always comes at a cost. Today, many people have started believing in false information. The truth is that it has become harder and harder to differentiate between what is true and what is false. This peculiar phenomenon can be witnessed by looking at how the public behaves amid the overabundance of medical information related to the current pandemic.

Previously we have seen that people started buying Chloroquine in huge amount after an irresponsible statement was issued by President Donald Trump of the US. Later on, Acterma injection, which is currently used as symptomatic treatment for Covid-19 patients, went short and its price surged up to five times in the black market. Now, Dexamethasone tablets have been recently announced as a lifesaving drug for Covid-19 patients. Consequently, they are running short in pharmacies all over Islamabad.

If DRAP does not take serious measures to regulate the flow of medicine, Pakistan will face a shortage of Dexamethasone and its price will significantly increase, above the reach of the common man. We need to create awareness regarding this. Such medicines should only be given to serious coronavirus patients. As a nation, it is our responsibility to collectively curb the malpractice of illegal storage and sale of medicines.

Muhammad Saad Khan

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2020.

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