OUR scientists have once again proved their competence by developing software based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) that can help detect COVID-19 in under a minute. This is not an ordinary achievement as Pakistan is now amongst few countries that have developed this cost effective technology, having an accuracy of more than ninety percent.
This has come at a very critical time when second wave of Covid-19 is appearing to be more fatal and when the country direly needs to increase the number of pandemic tests. This technology will be helpful to conduct screening of a large number of patients in a very limited time. This will go a long way in timely treatment of patients. As Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has given its approval to this locally invented software, its availability should now immediately be ensured at all health facilities across the country without any delay in order to save precious lives. We should also explore collaborations and partnerships to share this technology with other countries. This will not only be a great service to humanity but will also help the country earn valuable foreign exchange. It’s satisfying to note that Pakistan is now indigenously preparing ventilators and other such sophisticated technology, which we earlier used to import. The government needs to fully support scientists to render more successes in the field of medical sciences. We are confident that our scientists will also not lag behind in the development of Covid-19 vaccine in order to bring more laurels to the country.