MPs panel calls for aggressive corona mass testing

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on Coronavirus Disease in its first meeting on Monday had a general consensus that there should be an aggressive mass testing in order to know the exact number of the affected people.

The parliamentary committee met here with Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar in the chair.

The meeting was given a detailed briefing on the COVID-19 by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Regulations and Coordination Dr Zafar Mirza and Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal. The committee highly appreciated Asad Qaisar for constituting the Parliamentary Committee on Coronavirus Disease, comprising leaders of parliamentary parties in the National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan, on 26th March.

Asad Qaisar told the meeting that the main object to constitute the committee was to give priority to the inputs obtained from the parliamentarians.

He said the recommendations of the committee would be forwarded to the government for implementation.

Qaisar said he had already issued directions to the National Assembly Secretariat for adopting the procedure to hold a meeting of the standing committees through video links in future.

“We are talking effective measures to control the coronavirus disease in the country,” he added.

Dr. Zafar Mirza and Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal briefed the committee on the COVID-19 situation and utilisation of funds received by the government so far.

General Afzal said over 3,800 ventilators were available in the country, while 2,000 more would be imported from China.

He said 500 ventilators will reach Pakistan on Thursday, while 29,000 protective kits for doctors and paramedics had been provided to the provinces.