This is apropos a Business Recorder news report "China's experts to help govt combat coronavirus" carried by the newspaper yesterday. It is indeed a matter of great satisfaction that a special Chinese plane, carrying relief assistance from the Chinese government and a group of medical professionals, arrived in Islamabad on Saturday to assist government in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. China's assistance to Pakistan so far, according to the newspaper report, includes12,000 test kits, 300,000 masks, 10,000 protective suits, and support to build an isolation hospital. A considerable amount of donations from private sources from China has also arrived in the country.
It is also heartening to note that the Chinese medical professionals will remain in Pakistan for two weeks, and assist our doctors and health experts in battling the coronavirus, in light of their own experiences. Through these columns, I urge upon the countries' authorities to cash in on this opportunity in an effective manner mainly because of the fact that whatever China has done in the fight against this global challenge is a success story. A nation-wide strategy that is firmed up through the input of these Chinese experts must be implemented with full vigor. The way coronavirus challenge is playing out in the country brooks no complacency. The situation underscores the need for a nation-wide strategy to contain or forestall the spread of this deadly virus.