KARACHI:
Radio Pakistan has been facing severe financial constraints for a long time due to mismanagement by successive governments. Moreover, investors are attracted to television channels for visual entertainment purposes, making it hard for radio to survive. As a result, Radio Pakistan is fast losing its popularity among the masses.
Radio Pakistan is a national institution which is still regarded as the official radio channel of the Pakistan government around the world. It has also achieved many distinctions over the years. The financial crisis that the institution is facing is indeed a matter of great concern for the country, particularly those living in rural areas who rely mostly on radio for information and entertainment.
Radio Pakistan, like every other public sector organisation, provides medical treatment facilities to a large number of serving and retired employees. These employees, according to information retrieved from them, get medicines from the medical stores on a “medical officers” prescriptions for free. However, when medicines are not available from the designated stores due to non-payment and other reasons, they have to be purchased from personal expense. Reimbursements of purchased medicines takes several months making it difficult for many to cope with their ailments.
Despite these many problems, it is heartening and encouraging to learn that the federal government is actively deliberating on a proposal to resuscitate the dying industry. Hopefully, their efforts will come to fruition and the popularity of Radio Pakistan is revitalised just like it was in the past.
Asmaar Bilal
Lahore
Published in The Express Tribune, September 10th, 2022.
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