‘Cooperative federalism must in this moment of urgency’

Dr Mirza says lack of local govt hampers access to the poor, vulnerable

ISLAMABAD: With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak threatening to spiral out of control in the country, there is a dire need to take immediate actions at all levels, including containment to liquidity injection, as well as the need for following international practices, keeping in view the local perspective, to cope with the pandemic.

This was the crux of a virtual roundtable meeting on “Responses to Coronavirus Pandemic in Pakistan”. Organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) virtually in line with social distancing requirements of the pandemic, experts on the economy, communication and social development spoke along with the Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Dr Fehmida Mirza.

Dr Mirza explained that the federal government is taking all possible measures to fight COVID-19, but greater communication, awareness and education of the public on how to protect themselves from the virus are the need of the hour.

She said the country is already facing immense socio-economic stress such as poverty, unemployment, unhygienic conditions, drinking water shortages, so ultimately the people will be the ones to suffer.

The federal minister further stressed the need to bring civil-military leadership on one page and work together with the provinces while setting aside their political affiliations.

Given the pandemic and the urgency to take coordinated steps, Dr Mirza stressed that ‘cooperative federalism’ is necessary at this moment. However, she lamented that there are no local governments present at the moment, hence the government lacks effective ways to access the poor and vulnerable communities.

SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, while appreciating the government for devising policies quickly to tackle the pandemic, said that there is a need to devise doable policy inputs at this stage.

For this purpose, best practices should be adopted as per conditions of the country.

If emergency funds are required, he said the government can dip into the funds of different institutions such as the Workers Welfare Fund, the PSDP etc.

He identified three major issues that how we can make the IPC and the Council of Common Interests (CCI) more effective, including making the health distribution system impactful, and the social safety nets (except Ehsaas or BISP) useful in the current situation.

Dr Suleri further said that the National Disaster Management Authority, IPC, and health ministry must jointly coordinate with all provinces and prepare a combined strategy.

Furthermore, liquidity injection is needed for two groups; those which fall in poverty band and those small firms which have to pay their bills and salaries. He said, adding that the government can easily do it as oil prices are being reduced in the international market so the government will have a cushion.

He further said that some people (having other ailments than Coronavirus) are not going to the hospital because they are afraid that they may catch coronavirus, so services such as telemedicine can prove to be critical for such patients.

The SDPI executive director went on to say that public service messages on media including radio, television, and social media about different myths related to the myths should be disseminated more effectively.

He stressed the need to review how prepared and ready is our health sector. Do we have sufficient ventilators and technical skills required to operate these ventilators even if we order for purchase from the international market?

In this regard, he said that a list must be prepared of essential items in case the virus metastasizes in the country and how philanthropic groups can be mobilized to fill gaps.

In the event of a patient’s death, the virus does not die. For this purpose, China has developed a standard operating procedure (SOP) to bury bodies but they are in conflict with Muslim traditions.

“We need to work as to how we can do it in Pakistan.”

Economic Expert Dr Naveed Iftikhar said containment should be the top priority. Suggestions are needed to implement that in phases.

He pointed out that the recovery phase is critical, particularly in the social and economic sectors. Global supply and demand shocks will also be there.

The economic expert says that it is important to protect our daily wagers, street vendors and the poor unemployed labour during this time. He added that because of these reasons, a complete lockdown is impossible and that local institutions, with some early response system, are needed to play their role.

Dr Iftikhar added that some groups are working on the method of telemedicine, however, health ministry should come forward in this regard.

National Incubation Centre (NIC) - Karachi Director Shahjahan Chaudhry said that international projects are unfolding due to coronavirus. However, payments are slow which will ultimately affect the salaried class.

He added that small business could feel a greater impact in around three to six months.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2020.