Medical community for adopting Chinese model

Prevention termed only way to overcome pandemic

LAHORE: Medical experts have called for rigorously adopting the Chinese model to control coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in the country.

In a joint declaration issued after a meeting held at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Tuesday,  representatives of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine (PSIM), Institute of Public Health (IPH), University of Education (UoE), Pakistan Society of Food Scientists and Technologists (PSFST), Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA), Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) and the UHS, avowed that prevention was the only way to get rid of the pandemic.

“There are five levels of prevention: health education, personal protection by hygiene, social distancing, washing hands and equipment, self-isolation, safe distance and avoidance of assemblies,” the declaration read.

It stressed the need of strengthening the immunity system by including high-protein items such as milk, meat, fish and eggs in daily diet.

The statement also called for ensuring a more significant role of scientific organisations in government policy making with regard to disease management and rehabilitation strategies.

The declaration was signed by UHS Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Javed Akram, PMA president Prof Muhammad Ashraf Nizami, PSIM general secretary Dr Somia Iqtadar, IPH Dean Prof Zarfashan Tahir, UoE VC Prof Talat Naseer Pasha, PSFST general secretary Dr Muhammad Nasir, PPA president Prof Masood Sadiq and PAFP president Dr Tariq Mahmood Mian.

Talking to the media on the occasion, the UHS VC said that in late January, after a sluggish and problematic initial response, the government of China put in place unprecedented containment and social distancing measures.

“But the restrictions seem to have worked to contain the spread of Covid-19 in China. The number of new cases reported every day is now consistently much lower than it was a few weeks ago,” he added.

He also said despite a second wave of infections in Asian countries amid the crisis, South Korea continued to lead the way in containing the spread of coronavirus with one of the lowest casualty rates in the world.

“The reason is the Koreans acted fast to produce test kits and the country now has enough to screen thousands of people a day. They made it all free and once they identified patients, they put them into quarantine. We, however, cannot afford this,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2020.