The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza on Tuesday called for coordinated, collective and sustained actions by the international community to curb deadly coronavirus, ease the burden on the health system and support national and global economies.
Addressing 73rd Session of the World Health Assembly held in Geneva, via video link, he said some of the lessons learnt from COVID-19 outbreak included the need for enhanced investments in national and global pandemic preparedness, detection and response mechanisms.
The World Health Assembly is the supreme decision-making forum of the World Health Organization (WHO) where 194 nations converge to deliberate and devise strategies for promoting health and reducing disease burden.
Mirza said that the WHA session was significant in many ways and it must lend its full support to the on-going preparedness and response plans and strategies.
He urged the assembly to support growing calls for development and production of COVID-19 related diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that were affordable, equitable and accessible to all.
"It is clear that no country alone can protect itself from this contagion. Solidarity and unity is, therefore, vital to tackle morbidity and mortality, to ease burden on the health systems, and support national and global economies," he said.
He said that Pakistan had significantly lower number of Covid-19 patients than the initial international projections, especially considering that Pakistan was the 5th most populous developing country in the world.
However, he stressed that despite these numbers, "we are not complacent and are taking every possible step" to combat the pandemic.
"We are implementing a national action plan for Covid-19 with a whole-of-nation approach, including at the highest level and multi-sectoral coordination at federal, provincial and local levels," he added.
"Through this plan the overarching strategy of trace, test and quarantine is being pursued and operationalised. We are training the frontline healthcare workers through our 'We Care' campaign, sustaining the momentum of public awareness messages, making available critical medical supplies to healthcare professionals and workers."
He told the assembly that Pakistan endorsed the statement delivered by the Chinese delegation on the issue of Taiwan.
"Pakistan fully supported China's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added.
"In line with iterations of General Committee, year after year, Pakistan's position is that there is only One-China and Taiwan being its integral part has no right whatsoever to claim the membership of WHO," Mirza said.
The de facto health minister of Pakistan told the participants that some of the lessons learned from the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic included the need for enhanced investments in national and global pandemic preparedness, detection and response mechanisms.
"WHO and member states must take this opportunity to start imagining the future of healthcare. Current political global attention must translate into strengthened essential public health functions. More than ever before world needs PHC-based UHC," he said.
"The world is bearing the fallout of this pandemic in so many different ways, including the spread of other diseases as those have remained relatively unattended," he said, emphasizing the need for collective action for voiceless poor suffering through these tough time.
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