Mr. Abdul Hameed Sheikh, CEO, Firetech Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd
One of the pleasant evening sitting in the front of TV and waiting for News at 9 pm. All of a sudden a Breaking News started flashing on the TV screen about the Coronavirus pandemic broke out in Wuhan city of China. That moment of time was totally unfamiliar of this kind of virus, its effects on life and degree of danger and how to deal with it. In the meantime, main bulletin started and News Reader was enjoying delivering the seriousness of pandemic attack and was reporting the hundreds of citizen of Wuhan were effected, many of them were in serious condition and numbers of them died and hundreds in Que.
Soon after the Adviser to Prime Minister for Health Issues and other Pakistan Govt. Officials started talking lightly about the seriousness of COVID 19 and how to protect the measures from this pandemic. Since that time till now Govt. of Pakistan is unable to give any firm line of action how to do, what to do, when to do what. A big cloud of terror made shadow over the country without having a clue where to go for protection. A very close friend of mine called at 4pm in the afternoon and asking for help to find out a source who can provide 700 Bed Sets (including foam mattress, cover sheet, a pillow and blanket) should be delivered at an emergency field hospital built overnight in tents for COVID 19 patients coming from abroad. The materials should be delivered at site before 2am same night by all means. This kind of panic start initiated to protect the people from pandemic. However, the time that was flying like a Canary Bird flight, started taking a long breath when local news start pouring information from Taftan (Pakistan – Iran) Border that the many of Zaireen’s coming back from Iran are infected by COVID 19 and Government is trying to stop all of them at border to avoid spread of disease in country. But all efforts went in vain and Zaireen’s managed to escape and pandemic started spreading inside the whole country. First of all the CM – Sind Province raised voice and issued a warning to get ready to face hard situation and ready to have causalities. At this point the central Government was still testing their muscles and was acting at low profile with sweet slogans and not showing any rapid preparedness, while the internationally pandemic has effected badly in Europe, UK & USA. A very little vision was given by the responsible people in key positions but the rapid emergence of infection causing serious illness opened a new Pandora box with in the governing corridor that was amplifying the incompetency of Government officials. In the meantime a strange encounter of such a department was discovered which was out of any vision till time and hijacked the whole situation and giving a shut up call to all and started taking action. While the Medical Front Force fighting at front line against this pandemic received infection and first death of a young Doctor was Coffined at Peshawar, KPK Province. That was the time that discovered to general position of our National Preparedness against unknown enemy. The horrible news about acute shortage of Medical Equipment, Ventilators, Diagnostic Test Kits etc. and the said department started giving figures of available equipment’s, number of existing beds in hospitals nation vide ready to take the patients and in the meantime was trying to import the required equipment from international sources. The so called team of political adviser was intensifying[WU1] their personal views without consulting medical specialist. In short a basket full of different ideologies was thrown in public with no direction, COVID 19 effected patient were pouring in to hospitals from all over the directions and political pundits were scoring for themselves, every morning cytological effects, and unknown terror was mounting pressure on public mental health and generated negative impact.
While the Corona virus pandemic is changing our reality from individual daily lives to global order. Majority of countries worldwide are going through unexpected socio-economic crises while trying to tackle the impact of pandemic. Yet the virus is not only creating new problems, new life orders but is also acerbating existing systematic issues.
The current situation facing national level and international stage the pandemic has changed the life style and yet more changes to come. Million has been locked down due to state of emergencies often without income and facing hunger challenges. Health & economic well-being have been set on the opposite sides of national dilemma. While the situation in countries of developed nations might achieved a balance between both ends. There is no policy declared for the developing countries to tackle this problem. Yet it’s not about rich & poor but the type of state and related socio-economic structure also matters.
Now, the question is how shall state solve social & economic challenges? How prepared is the health system? Are we ready for the business crises? How to ease the burden of the unemployed? Political leader must provide answers to the questions. The time has come for Govt. to retreat from their policies of self-regulated free markets, Govt. control for the health care issues and privatize social relations. Yet the crucial question is how the Govt. come back? What kind of order has to be established? While the special advisors to the Govt. are almost failed to handle the situation and start resigning from the positions to cover up their failures and left the nation in the same situation of difficulties from where they started entering in the Covid-19 era. Development solidarity and wealth distribution requires a new concept and to restart the development procedural issues by Govt. in order to concentrate on daily life of people. While Pakistan Govt. tries to prevent the economic collapse, it’s now more dependent on Intl. financial assistance than ever. The funding provided by Intl. Monitory Institutions, the overseas Pakistani community and the local banking sector and Intl. organizations will contribute to develop the economic crumbling situation. Pakistan’s anti crises plans has shown smallest possible response to the immediate impacts of the pandemic, and doesn’t provide answers to mid and long terms challenges of the economy. The large and small medium enterprises has been entered in such a big financial problem while they are trying to cover the losses occurred to their operation, and liabilities should be paid unconditionally. The current response is either little or small to give a full coverage to this pandemic disaster. Rethinking the current development model has not started yet as preventing the worst has become a moto for prevention. The existing order small steps of supporting the poorest of the country can’t be seen as a return from liberalism. But rather a tough strategy needs to adopt to avoid social unrest. As of today the Pakistan’s economy has suffered the worst of its life and Govt. issued plans are rather smallest or not enough to fulfill the requirement of society at a fast track life structure. Seeing this it’s estimated that the current year has to be survived under this situation and the planners have to rethink their model of development implemented and to review for the new strategy to bring development procedure back on track. The industrial sector at every level has suffered enough irrecoverable losses and looking towards empty hands of Govt. to compensate and show the path of prosperity and the way of living in post corona era standing in the middle of International stage. A country like Pakistan which is not a developed stream nor under develop being a middle stage economic player have suffered enough process and it will take longer time to recover and the nation have a long way to go.
