ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Science and Technology Wednesday expressed its inability to mass produce Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) to combat COVID-19 owing to shortage of funds.
This was revealed before the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology here on Wednesday, which met to discuss in detail the measures that the Ministry of Science and Technology along with its concerned departments have taken to combat COVID-19 in the country. The committee also observed that the region may face food shortage, if locust is not controlled. Pakistan is facing both locust and coronavirus.
The committee was also informed that a consortium of 70 countries has been formed to work on corona vaccine but Pakistan is not its member.
Further, the local trial of ventilators is dangerous, if international standards are not been followed.
Chaired by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, the meeting was attended by Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, Senator Syed Muhammad Sabir Shah, Senator Gianchand, Senator Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, Senator Hidayatullah, Senator Asad Ali Khan Junejo, and senior officers from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the HEC, the PSQCA, the PCSIR, the CUI along with all concerned. The meeting was given detailed overview of the efforts made the ministry to curb the spread of the coronavirus in Pakistan.
The committee was informed that the various agencies working under the ministry have been working diligently and have produced masks, sanitizers, temperature guns, chemicals, walk-through gates and the PPEs locally, and in line with WHO standards.
The Committee was informed that the hurdles faced by the ministry pertain to funding as mass production is not possible without appropriate funds. The committee lauded the efforts of the ministry and agencies, and directed that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Finance be summoned in the next meeting, so that details of distribution and funding may be discussed in detail. Research capacity and preparedness to battle the pandemic in Pakistan would also be gauged.
While reviewing the efforts of the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) Laboratories, the committee was informed that it has been producing and supplying different products to various government organisations in Pakistan. These products, it revealed, were manufactured in adherence to strict WHO standards, price regulation was also stringent. The committee was informed that the PCSIR had till date produced 48,630 bottles of hand sanitizer, 10,730 litres of disinfectant spray, and four walk-through gates.
The organisation is collaborating with the FPCCI for mass production.
About the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), Ahmed was of the view that the organisation must continue its work with missionary zeal, and the rest of the departments must follow suit.
He said that the PEC had taken excellent initiatives such as establishment of Pakistan Innovation and Testing Centre (PITC) and local manufacturing of ventilators and EM devices. The committee was informed that 57 designs of ventilators had been received by the PEC, 14 design prototypes had been short-listed for evaluation, five devices had been approved for industrial grade model, two ventilators were under process of the DRAP approval, and the FDA and CE certification.
Seven ventilators are under 2nd evaluation/design prototype stage, which is a huge achievement.
Discussing efforts of the Coronavirus Taskforce, the committee was informed that 2,000 tests had been conducted by the National Institute of Virology, medicine formulation are being researched with numerous medical institutes across Pakistan, and study of the SARS-COV-2 Genome have been taken up as well.
A National IT Framework for the Post-COVID19 scenario for track and trace had also been developed.
The chairman committee was of the view that details of whether or not Pakistan was a member of the 75 country alliance on COVID-19. He said that those details along with any efforts to produce a vaccine must be submitted to the committee in the next meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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