Court moved for free corona test

LAHORE:A writ petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court seeking directions to the government to provide facility of free testing of Coronavirus throughout the country.

Judicial Activism Panel chairman advocate Azhar Siddique has moved a public interest litigation. In the petition, he demanded the federal government take concrete steps to cope with situation in the wake of Coronavirus pandemic. He said citizens had been deprived of their basic right of free Coronavirus test whereas in the other countries of the world, the governments are providing free test facility to citizens as well as relief in other necessities of life.

He pleaded that in Pakistan, citizens are facing problems due to non-availability of facility of free test. Free testing facility is being provided only to serious patients in public hospitals at limited scale. He said Indian Supreme Court recently ordered provision of free testing facility to citizens at all public and private hospitals and laboratories throughout the country.

The petitioner requested the court to direct the federal government to provide free Coronavirus test facility to the citizens at all public and private hospitals and laboratories in the country.