IN every challenge, there lies an opportunity to be exploited. While Covid-19 has posed unprecedented challenge to the healthcare systems and the economies around the world, it also offered many opportunities especially to the developing countries like Pakistan to prioritize and build the healthcare sector on modern lines.
Prior to the breakout of Coronavirus, Pakistan had been importing sophisticated medical equipment such as ventilators from abroad. In fact there were only 1,400 functioning ventilators in government hospitals across the country when the pandemic hit it, immediately leading to an acute shortage of the life-saving equipment for critical coronavirus patients. Though this shortage was immediately met through imports from friendly country China, there was a change of mindset this time around and the country locally started manufacturing this life saving machine in a matter of few months – the inauguration of which was performed by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday. This indeed is a significant step towards making Pakistan self-reliant in production of medical equipment and also speaks volume of the talent our technicians, engineers and scientists have to excel in this field as well. In addition, the country has also started producing and exporting personal protective equipment including hand sanitizers and masks. This is a good beginning made by Pakistan in the difficult times and we expect that our institutions such as National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation will continue to make major strides in the medical industry and contribute to the country’s economy. It will be unfair not to acknowledge the efforts put in by Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry to make Pakistan one of the few countries producing this sophisticated machine. He has plans to develop the country’s medical and electromagnetic industry in the next three years. Doing so will have positive impact on the country’s economy as well as help improve and strengthen our healthcare system. It was also vision and election manifesto of PM Imran Khan to bring major reforms in the healthcare sector and we believe that the government is on the right course to achieve this goal.
