- When livelihoods take precedence over lives
It’s official now. Pakistan is in the midst of a coronavirus explosion. Hospitals in all urban centres have run out of capacity and major hospitals are unable to admit even critical Coronavirus patients. Covid-19 cases are rapidly spiking just as are deaths caused by it. The situation is now out of control but the federal government is basking in denial.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has ruled out all calls for another lockdown by senior doctors and the World Health Organization experts while his Special Assistant on Health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, insists the situation is “under control”. So the PM is not willing to go beyond ‘smart’ lockdown. As always, the media is being blamed for creating panic and unnecessary hype. Clearly the Imran Khan-led PTI government values livelihood more than human lives. Since last week Pakistan is setting daily records of Covid-19 infections and deaths. During the past 24 hours Pakistan recorded 6,321 new cases and nearly 100 deaths taking the total confirmed cases to 123,493 and fatalities to 2,409.
Medical practitioners and experts had repeatedly forewarned of this eventuality in April when the government decided to give the green light for congregational prayers during Ramazan. The government chose to pay no heed and we are now paying the price. The decision was followed by other wrong populist decisions and then the apex court’s May 18 order, lambasting essentially the Sindh government’s insistence on maintaining limiting commercial activity, made matters worse.
The first case of coronavirus was reported in Pakistan on February 26 and to this day there has been political bickering over the issue. Federal and provincial governments have failed to formulate a unified response to contain this deadly virus.
From the very outset the threat of this disease has been downplayed by a person no less than the Prime Minister who likened it to a passing flu. “Aap nay ghabrana nahin,” had been his overriding message to the nation after the coronavirus surfaced in Pakistan or rather was officially acknowledged in late February. Subsequently it was his then information SAPM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan who came up with the officially certified key message: “Corona say darna nahi, larna hai.” The phrase caught on but with it the much-needed caution went flying out the window. And this put the majority of people off guard. They took it literally and were out on streets and public places as if to take on the virus! All fear was abandoned and hardly any precautions taken. The message was catchy but not thought through. It could have been better phrased to underline more emphatically the need for precaution which was critical at that time when the coronavirus was beginning to spread its wings in Pakistan.
As worried and desperate frontline doctors cry out for additional essential protective gear, and medical equipment including ventilators, oxygen and testing kits, government officials mechanically churn out figures at daily news briefings to brag about their performance. Time will tell how much of it was fact and how much fiction. The gravity of the situation is being drowned in the daily feeds of cold statistics and data released by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to the media. Data on the number of tests being conducted, ICU beds and oxygen facility in hospitals country-wide. Figures regarding non-compliance with SOPs for Covid-19 containment, violations observed, shops sealed, industries closed, vehicles impounded and fines imposed for violators of the SOPs etc. etc. Bravo! But the question here is has all this really helped contain the spread of this disease.
The message from our top leadership (for now) is that it will only ensure stricter enforcement of SOPs and has urged people to be more responsible. Dr Mirza believes this will come through a behavioral change in the masses, as if in this health emergency we have the luxury of time to wait for the miracle to happen! So the PM has announced to launch his Corona Tigers– the untrained and inexperienced youth force- to aid the local administration. Going by the PTI government’s grand plans and misadventures, this force is more likely to become part of the problem
While there is much talk about provision of additional ventilators to the hospitals, the fact is that there are not enough qualified technicians to operate these complex life-support machines. Probably this could be one reason why still 50 percent of ventilators in hospitals remain unused. This figure was given by the SAPM on Health this week.
Senior doctors including Professor Dr Javed Akram, vice chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences, have been flagging the point that operating ventilators is a highly complex task and if the oxygen and other vitals are not maintained at the right level, these can be fatal. That it could result in 100 per cent fatalities in patients on ventilators. Perhaps that explains why the recovery rate of patients on ventilators is dismal. Official data suggests 80 to 90 percent of corona patients on ventilators do not survive.
The actual super spreaders in Pakistan seem to be those advising and blowing the government’s trumpet, and above all the pied pipers who gave the go-ahead to relax restrictions. The lockdown virtually ended in May to open the floodgates to the unpredictable and lethal virus that has already gobbled up more than 423,000 human lives globally. And then not to forget the hyper judicial activism with the Supreme Court of Pakistan stepping in to order opening of all shops and malls even on weekends just prior to Eidul Fitr. The argument advanced by the honorable Chief Justice was that all days are the same!
Instructions for strict enforcement of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) regarding precautionary measures were also given. However, this ruling coming on the heels of Eid and after an extended lockdown was like telling the public to dive into a huge swimming pool but not to swim! So what happened next is no secret. People declared war on markets and malls as if corona was an illusion and SOPs just a formality. Public transport is back on roads and the government has now also opened the doors for tourism. Another matter that petrol has become a rare commodity.
This week the World Health Organization (WHO) also issued a stern warning to Pakistan that it is now well into the danger zone of corona infections spiraling by the minute. WHO has advised immediate intermittent two-week lockdown. On Wednesday Dr. Javed Akram went a step further and appealed to the federal government to impose a curfew in the wake of alarmingly fast spread of the coronavirus that has over-burdened entire healthcare system with crippling effect. Pakistan eased restrictions even before waiting for the international prerequisite of flattening of the curve, sufficient testing capacity and developing proper surveillance systems. Relaxation in the lockdown was announced even before the beastly virus had peaked. Initially we were told the virus would peak in June but now the PM says it is expected in July or August. That we better learn to live (and die) with it, as all calls for a re-imposition of a lockdown have fallen on deaf ears.
The message from our top leadership (for now) is that it will only ensure stricter enforcement of SOPs and has urged people to be more responsible. Dr Mirza believes this will come through a behavioral change in the masses, as if in this health emergency we have the luxury of time to wait for the miracle to happen! So the PM has announced to launch his Corona Tigers– the untrained and inexperienced youth force- to aid the local administration. Going by the PTI government’s grand plans and misadventures, this force is more likely to become part of the problem.
We are living in strange, surreal times. Many are beginning to despair as the coronavirus pandemic refuses to go away. Mankind can never decode the Divine design. It is beyond human perception. But there is always hope in the Divine Writ. Solace and strength can be drawn from the recurring message of patience, prayer and perseverance in the Holy Quran.
“O you who have attained to faith! Seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer: for behold, God is with those who are patient in adversity…” (Surah Baqarah)