1,800 pilgrims being screened at Taftan border: CM

Kamal inaugurates Balochistan’s first children emergency centre

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani on Thursday said at least 1,800 pilgrims were being treated and screened at the quarantine centres established at the Taftan border while health experts’ teams were also performing their duties to treat passengers who recently returned from Iran.

“The current government has made all arrangements following the coronavirus threat. A quarantine centre is being established at Hazar Ganji on the outskirts of Quetta while isolation wards are also being built in Sheikh Zaid and Fatima Jinnah Chest hospitals,” Kamal said.

Replying to a query regarding trade coming to a standstill on Pak-Afghan and Pak-Iran borders, Kamal said human life is more important, adding that borders with Iran and Afghanistan have been sealed as a precaution.

“The global outbreak of the virus caused $35billion losses to civil aviation industry.  It’s not only Pakistan, various countries have sealed their borders,” Kamal said.

Kamal also unveiled province’s first children emergency centre at Sandeman Provincial Hospital on Thursday and said it will be helpful in preventing deaths of children below the age of five.

“More than 400,000 children below the age of five die due to lack of health facilities but the government has launched province’s first child emergency ward in Quetta in partnership with Child Life to save the future of Balochistan,” Kamal said while talking to media during an inauguration ceremony held here in the provincial capital.

He further said Child Life has been managing children emergency centres in nine large hospitals in Sindh for the last 10 years hence the Balochistan government invited them a year ago to continue their life saving work in Balochistan.

“We signed an MoU last year and then launched province’s first emergency centre in Balochistan which would help us ensure quality treatment for children,” he said, adding that doctors and trained health staff will remain in the centre 24/7 while in emergency cases experts from Karachi will be reached out to.

Agriculture Expo 2020

Kamal on Thursday chaired a meeting to review preparations for Balochistan Agriculture Expo 2020 that is being organised to fetch-out national and foreign investment in the provincial agriculture sector.

Provincial Minister for Agriculture Engineer Zamrak Khan Achakzai, Chief Secretary Balochistan Capt (retd) Fazeel Asghar, Secretary Finance Noorul Haq Baloch and Secretary Agriculture attended the meeting.

The meeting decided to hold Balochistan’s first Agricultural Expo 2020 in the last week of June with the support of USAid and UFO.

Briefing the meeting, the secretary agriculture said the event would spread awareness among farmers about agricultural innovations, seeds, water, medicines and the machinery being used in agricultural fields in the developed countries.

“National and International agricultural companies would be invited in Balochistan Agriculture Expo 2020 while companies working in livestock sector will also be participating,” he added.

The meeting thoroughly reviewed green tractor scheme and agricultural development schemes in Balochistan.

Addressing the meeting, Kamal emphasised the need to introduce modern ways of agriculture in Balochistan.

“Balochistan is a productive land for cultivation of cotton and olive but in order to uplift agriculture sector in the province, we have to equip our farmers with modern machinery,” Kamal said as he directed authorities to prepare annual calendar for provincial expos and seminars in various sectors.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2020.