–PM says Pakistan failed to make progress due to low spending on education, health in addition to absence of ‘self-belief’
–Says govt has disbursed over Rs81bn among 6.6m families under Ehsaas programme
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed the resolve to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to improve the living standards of people and eliminate poverty, in addition to revamping the healthcare sector of the country.
Addressing a gathering at Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) headquarters in Islamabad, the prime minister said: “The pandemic has exposed the need of a much-needed revamp in the medical sector. “We have to focus on building our medical infrastructure so that we are prepared for any such emergency situation in the future.”
Without naming anyone, he said: “The ruling elite used to rush abroad for treatment for minor illnesses, they can’t go now because it’s dangerous.” The virus does not differentiate between the rich and the poor, making it everyone’s problem, he added.
During his visit, the premier, who was accompanied by Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry and other senior officials, attended an exhibition
Earlier today, PM @ImranKhanPTI visited COMSTECH where he attended an exhibition of medical equipment & products which are being produced in collaboration of Ministry of Science & Technology with Pakistan Engineering Council and other partners for containment of #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/Wje4FHxD0c
— Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) April 30, 2020
On the occasion, he was also given a briefing on the medical goods which are being manufactured domestically.
Briefing the prime minister, Fawad Chaudhry said that while Pakistan was facing a shortage of sanitisers and disinfectants a month and a half ago, today, it is producing its own disinfectants and are in the position to export them.
The premier noted that Pakistanis have a “dependency syndrome, we don’t have that ‘self-belief’, we didn’t progress towards knowledge economy because we didn’t spend on education and research, our Pakistanis excel once they immigrate, why can’t you create that system here.”
“It is only now — with a global shortage — that we have found out that building ventilators wasn’t that hard. The country that had the capacity to make nuclear bombs, how hard can it be for it to make ventilators?” PM pointed out.
The prime minister was of the view that “actions, not the resources, determine the outcome one will receive” in a particular situation.
“The biggest quality that takes a nation upwards is self-belief. This belief increases as the nation makes progress.”
Speaking to reporters, Imran said the government has so far disbursed Rs81 billion among 6.6 million families under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme. Ehsaas Emergency Cash Information Portal was launched for bringing transparency and merit into the programme, he said.
He said the third category of the programme covered all provinces, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. He said Sindh has been given the maximum relief funds under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme.
