Coronavirus in Pakistan: Senators ask government to take practical steps to prevent outbreak

Senators on Friday expressed concern over the outbreak of coronavirus in China, demanding the government to take practical steps to prevent the outbreak of this epidemic in Pakistan while Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani said that Pakistan should "stand shoulder to shoulder with China in this testing time."

"China is a time-tested friend of Pakistan that has always stood by Pakistan side whenever we needed it. Today, China needs help and it is for us to stand by China and help it brave this hard time," Sanjrani said while presiding over the Senate session.

"We should not shy away from lending a helping hand to Beijing and to do whatever we can to fight coronavirus," he said. Speaking on the floor of the House, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Parliamentary Leader Sherry Rehman termed the coronavirus a "challenge to the world."

She said, "If effective preventive measures are not taken in time, such deadly epidemics can cause large-scale destruction. It's high time to fight the deadly viruses like coronavirus," she said.

Criticizing the federal government, she said Pakistani citizens are left helpless in China.

"Even the helpline of Pakistani Embassy in China, set up for providing facilitation to Pakistani citizens in China, is not working. As usual, the government is in deep slumber."

In addition, Pakistani airports lack screening systems to detect the coronavirus in the travellers landing in Pakistan, she said.

"That's the most alarming situation. The governments of other countries are evacuating their citizens to save them from coronavirus and treat the infected patients. But we don't even have the screening systems at our airports. No one knows how many people infected with coronavirus have so far landed in Pakistan."

Mohsin Aziz from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said special wards should be set up at the government and private hospitals to treat coronavirus patients.

"The infected persons should be kept in isolation wards and there minimum contact with the outside world should be ensured. Special arrangements will have to be made to deal with coronavirus to prevent its outbreak."

He also said that Pakistani citizens should not be left helpless in China and steps should be made for their rescue and proper health assistance.

Earlier on Wednesday, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza, at a press conference, confirmed that four Pakistani students in China have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Recently, a group of Pakistani students in China appealed to the government to evacuate them from China. Reports suggested that there are 500 Pakistani students currently studying in different universities in Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood informed the Senate during question hour that the government is "committed to enforce the uniform education curriculum across the country to allow all the children to have a fair and equal opportunity to receive high quality education."

The National Curriculum Council has initiated the process of developing single national curriculum with input from all the federating units, he added. The Senate will meet again on Monday.