PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network
The Global Social Network
Can Pakistan Effectively Respond to Coronavirus Pandemic?
Pakistani public health system's ability to deal with Covid19 pandemic is increasingly being questioned with the number of confirmed coronavirus cases spiking in the country. The current hotspot is in southern Sindh province where the provincial government is taking the lead in fighting its spread by shutting schools, closing restaurants and shopping malls and banning large gatherings such as weddings and conferences. The federal government has closed Pakistan's western border with Iran where the coronavirus pandemic is raging. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has started screening all incoming passengers and stopped flights to and from several countries hit by the pandemic. Pakistani health experts are advising people with flu-like symptoms to self-isolate in their homes. The best known treatment for the severely ill is Resochin, the anti-malarial antiviral made by Bayer Pakistan. Hydroxycholroquine (HCQ), made by Getz Pakistan, is also reportedly effective in treating Covid19.
|
Coronavirus Global Pandemic |
Is Pakistan Ready?
Pakistan is among only 6 countries in the world that have taken the steps they need to evaluate their ability to withstand a global pandemic, according to a 2017 report sponsored by the World Bank. The 6 countries named in the report are: Eritrea, Finland, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania and the United States.
|
Covid19 Coronavirus. Source: US CDC |
Pakistan's ability to deal with a pandemic is now being tested by the coronavirus. The current hotspot for it is in southern Sindh province where the provincial government is taking the lead in fighting its spread by shutting schools, closing restaurants and shopping malls and banning large gatherings such as weddings and conferences. The federal government has closed Pakistan's western border with Iran where the coronavirus pandemic is raging. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has started screening all incoming passengers and stopped flights to and from several countries hit by the pandemic. Pakistani health experts are advising people with flu-like symptoms to self-isolate in their homes.
Pakistan is ramping up coronavirus testing and setting up isolation wards at many hospitals in Sindh and across the country. More testing accounts for the spike in confirmed cases. The best known treatment for the severely ill is Resochin, the anti-malarial antiviral made by Bayer Pakistan.
In response to a recent request by Pakistan's Express Tribune newspaper staff, World Health Organization Executive Director Dr. Michael J. Ryan said Pakistan has great capacity in public health but he also talked of challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic. “Pakistan has a highly mobile population with mega cities and undeserved people,” he said. “So there is a great challenge facing Pakistan. But Pakistan has also demonstrated time and again with dengue, polio and other diseases how all of the government and society’s approaches can be made to work.”
Dr. Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala, World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Pakistan, also lauded Pakistan's response to Covid19 pandemic, according to The News. He said, “Pakistan has timely come up with one of the world’s best National Response Program against COVID-19 and it is being implemented very effectively. Authorities are doing their job and now it is the responsibility of the people to follow the instructions and take preventive and precautionary measures to avoid contracting the viral disease.”
The World Bank report titled "From Panic and Neglect to Investing in Health Security: Financing Pandemic Preparedness at a National Level" was written by experts from the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the African and Asian development banks, and finance officials from various governments. The report included estimates of the economic damage various epidemics had done. For example, the viral pneumonia SARS — which ultimately killed only 774 people — shrank China’s gross domestic product by 0.5 percent in 2003. The report also broke down costs on a per capita basis. A major flu pandemic, for example, would cost Afghanistan only $12 per citizen, India $31, Pakistan $28 and the United States $248.
Social Distancing:
The current hotspot is in southern Sindh province where the provincial government is taking the lead in fighting its spread by shutting schools, closing restaurants and shopping malls and banning large gatherings. The federal government has closed Pakistan's western border with Iran where the coronavirus pandemic is raging. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has started screening all incoming passengers and stopped flights to and from several countries hit by the pandemic.
Italian experience with coronavirus has shown that even a well-developed public health system in a rich European country can be overwhelmed by rapidly growing pandemic such as Covid19. The best way to handle the situation is to cut the infection rate by keeping people about 6 feet apart. This is being called "social distancing".
|
Social Distancing to Limit Infection Rates |
Based on what the United States has learned from what is happening in Italy, major cities and states in America are taking steps to reduce large gatherings of people. Offices, schools, restaurants and shopping centers are closed with shelter-in-place orders in Silicon Valley and the larger 6-county San Francisco Bay Area.
Herd Immunity:
Herd immunity develops when a large percentage of population is infected or vaccinated. Dr. Arindam Basu, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health at University of Canterbury, has recently written an article in The Conversation arguing that it is "unethical and potentially dangerous" to wait for herd immunity to develop in the absence of a vaccine. It could result in hundreds of thousands or even millions of deaths among the most vulnerable segments of the population such as the elderly and the immune-compromised.
Pakistan's Assistance to China:
Chinese President Xi Jinping has thanked Pakistan for its support during coronabirus outbreak in his country. "China is deeply grateful for Pakistan's support. Facts have proved once again that China and Pakistan are true friends who share weal and woe and good brothers who share each other's joys and sorrows. The special friendship is a historical choice, and is deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples," said Xi.
|
Resochin (Chloroquine) Produced by Bayer Pakistan |
At the peak of the outbreak in February, Bayer Pakistan exported to China 300,000 tablets of Resochin (Chloroquine) that proved effective in treating coronavirus infections and saving lives in Wuhan. Resochin is an antiviral drug used for treating malaria. Chloroquine is manufactured by not just Bayer but several other drug companies as well. China and many other countries discontinued its production years ago. Several Pakistani pharmaceutical companies also manufacture HydroxyChloroquine which has lower toxicity and fewer side effects. The United Kingdom has banned hoarding and export of both of these drugs. In addition, Pakistan donated 7,000 surgical masks to China at the peak of the coronavirus outbreak. A recent paper titled "An Effective Treatment for Coronavirus (COVID-19)" by James M. Todaro, MD and and Gregory J. Rigano, Esq. has published data showing the efficacy of familiar anti-malaria drugs Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine for treatment of and as prophylactic against COVID-19.
|
In Vitro Efficacy of Chloroquine(CQ) vs Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) Ag... |
Recently, Chinese research (reported in Clinical Trials Arena) reported that “data from the drug’s [chloroquine] studies showed ‘certain curative effect’ with ‘fairly good efficacy’ … patients treated with chloroquine demonstrated a better drop in fever, improvement of lung CT images, and required a shorter time to recover compared to parallel groups. The percentage of patients with negative viral nucleic acid tests was also higher with the anti-malarial drug… Chloroquine has so far shown no obvious serious adverse reactions in more than 100 participants in the trials… Chloroquine was selected after several screening rounds of thousands of existing drugs. Chloroquine is undergoing further trials in more than ten hospitals in Beijing, Guangdong province and Hunnan province.”
A small French study found only 25% of COVID19 patients who took it for 6 days still had the virus while 90% of those who had not taken it still had Covid-19.
|
HCQ (Hydroxychloroquine) Manufactured by Getz Pakistan |
Economic Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic:
Service sector accounts for 50% of the world GDP and 54% of Pakistan's GDP. Social distancing will significantly impact the services, particularly retail, restaurants, travel, transport and education sectors. Imran Khan has expressed fear that the pandemic will devastate the economies of developing countries.
“My worry is poverty and hunger," Khan said. "The world community has to think of some sort of a debt write-off for countries like us, which are very vulnerable, at least that will help us in coping with (the coronavirus).”
Summary:
Pakistan is among only six countries in the world that have taken the steps they need to evaluate their ability to withstand a global pandemic, according to a 2017 report sponsored by the World Bank. The current hotspot is in southern Sindh province where the provincial government is taking the lead in fighting its spread by shutting schools, closing restaurants and shopping malls and banning large gatherings. The federal government has closed Pakistan's western border with Iran where the coronavirus pandemic is raging. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has started screening all incoming passengers and stopped flights to and from several countries hit by the pandemic. The best known treatment for the severely ill is Resochin, the anti-malarial antiviral made by Bayer Pakistan. Dr. Michael Ryan and Dr. Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala of the World Health Organization (WHO) have talked of challenges Pakistan faces but also praised the steps it has taken to fight coronavirus pandemic.
Here's the latest Coronavirus Pandemic Update:
Related Links:
How Grim is Pakistan's Social Sector Progress?
Pakistan Fares Marginally Better Than India On Disease Burdens
Can Imran Khan Lead Pakistan to the Next Level?
Democracy vs Dictatorship in Pakistan
Pakistan Child Health Indicators
Pakistan's Balance of Payments Crisis
Conspiracy Theories About Pakistan Elections"
PTI Triumphs Over Corrupt Dynastic Political Parties
Strikingly Similar Narratives of Donald Trump and Nawaz Sharif
Views: 1231
-
Comment by Riaz Haq on March 28, 2020 at 4:03pm
-
#China sends medical personnel, supplies to #Pakistan to combat #coronavirus. Pakistan has 1,408 confirmed cases, including 11 deaths from the illness it causes, #COVID19. Most of the infected people in Pak are travelers returning from neighboring #Iran. https://ti.me/2vUL5RG?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&...
Most people infected by the virus only experience mild symptoms, such as fever and cough, and recover within a few weeks. But the virus can cause severe respiratory illness and death, particularly in older patients or those with underlying health problems.
Pakistan has closed its borders with both Iran and Afghanistan, but has come under widespread criticism for its initial lax response to the virus.
Even as the pandemic spread to the country, Pakistani authorities allowed tens of thousands of Islamic clerics from around the world to congregate for three days outside the eastern city of Lahore. Some 200 of the clerics are now quarantined at the site of the gathering, a sprawling compound belonging to an Islamic missionaries group, Tableeghi Jamaat.
Many of the visiting clerics at the conference returned to their home countries, some of them carrying the coronavirus. The first two reported cases in the Gaza Strip attended the three-day gathering in Pakistan, and are now under quarantine in Gaza. Other linked cases have emerged elsewhere in the Middle East and Central Asia.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has refused to impose a countrywide lockdown saying it would devastate the country’s poor, but ordered non-essential businesses closed, including restaurants, money changers and wedding halls.
As of Saturday, the government still had not ordered mosques closed nationwide, instead relying on recommendations to worshippers not to gather for weekly Friday prayers. Pakistani officials are reluctant to defy local hard-line Islamic leaders, who can whip up mobs to protest any perceived insults to religion. Some of these clerics have taken to social media to urge the faithful to fill the mosques, saying it is their religious obligation.
Pakistan’s federal health authorities say the outbreak is so far concentrated in Punjab province, with 490 confirmed cases there, and Sindh province, which has 457 confirmed infections. Other cases are spread throughout several other regions, including the capital, Islamabad.
Health authorities in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province reported one additional death Saturday, a woman in the district of Dir. Ajmal Wazir, a spokesman for the provincial government, said the woman fell sick after returning from a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, before dying in a government hospital where she tested positive for the coronavirus.
In Iran, officials have repeatedly insisted they have the outbreak under control, despite concerns it could overwhelm the country’s health facilities.
Iran’s government has faced widespread criticism for not acting faster to contain the virus. Only in recent days have authorities ordered nonessential businesses to close and banned travel between cities — long after other nations in the region imposed sweeping lockdowns.
-
-
#Pakistan Converts Hundreds of Hotels Into Quarantine Centers. 1,795 3-star and 4-star hotels, with 42,000 single-bed rooms ready to use as #quarantine centers for #coronavirus suspected cases. Also locked 6 hotels with 5-star facilities. #Covid_19 https://www.voanews.com/science-health/coronavirus-outbreak/pakista...
Pakistan has converted hundreds of hotels into temporary quarantine centers, one of several urgent steps to ensure its traditionally ill-prepared public health care system can deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
The rapid response, critics say, is unusual in the wake of limited resources facing the cash-strapped country.
Islamabad’s close ally, Beijing, has also stepped in to deliver critical medical staff and supplies to help in limiting the effects of the pandemic.
Pakistani officials said Friday that the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus had risen to at least 1,300, and at least 11 people had died, since the country detected its first case a month ago.
The number of infections are the highest in South Asia, though Pakistani officials insist the spread is “very slow” compared with rates in other countries.
Chinese aid, struggling health care system
On Friday, China and Pakistan briefly opened their only overland crossing, known as the Khunjerab Pass, 4,700 meters above sea level, to transfer urgent medical supplies from the Chinese side, such as test kits, ventilators, face masks and protective suits.
Chinese private organizations, such as the Alibaba and Jack Ma foundations, have donated hundreds of thousands of face masks, tens of thousands of test kits, and protective suits.
“We are ready to provide whatever assistance and support to Pakistan. In China we believe in that if you give me a drop of water, I will dig a spring for you,” Yao Jing, Beijing’s ambassador to Islamabad, said in a video message.
When the coronavirus first emerged last year in Wuhan, in China’s Hubei province, Pakistan was among the first nations to respond, delivering critical medical supplies to its neighbor and staunch ally.
Critics fear that Pakistan’s strained public health care system, with a history of failing to contain infectious disease and marred by neglect, lack of funds and nepotism, is already strained and not in a position to tackle a major outbreak.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government had launched a massive effort to establish new hospitals and boost capacity of existing health facilities to prepare for such a scenario.
The head of Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said Thursday that the process of importing medical equipment had also been set in motion.
General Muhammad Afzal told reporters that, until a month ago, Pakistan had fewer than 500 “so-called” quarantine beds, but the number has since been increased to 162,000.
“This is because we have also booked roughly 1,795 three-star and four-star hotels, with a collective capacity of 42,000 single-bed rooms, to use them as quarantine centers. We have also locked six hotels with five-star facilities if needed,” Afzal said.
The number of intensive care units in hospitals around Pakistan has risen from 700 just a couple of weeks ago to about 20,000, Afzal said.
The general said two transport aircraft would be sent to China on Saturday to bring back roughly 100 tonnes of medical equipment.
The Chinese assistance, Afzal said, includes “walk-thorough testing technology” that will be deployed next week to conduct mass testing in Pakistani cities with higher infections.
-
-
As #Coronavirus Attacks #Pakistan, Volunteers Rush Out To Help. Some set up a #quarantine ward for a public hospital, , others make free protective suits for medics and individuals like Pirzada distribute #food. #COVID19 https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/03/30/82...
Until last week, Ahsan Pirzada ran a law firm in the Pakistani capital. But on March 22, when businesses shut down across Islamabad, thousands of low-wage Pakistanis lost their jobs, he decided to act.
He raised thousands of dollars through his friends and Facebook acquaintances to buy food. He converted his office into a storehouse and made ration packs with flour, rice, sugar, lentils, milk and cooking oil.
"This is enough for a family of four to five people to survive for 14 days," says Pirzada. He gestures to 35 food packs piled in a friend's pickup truck that he is going to deliver to a nearby slum.
Pakistanis pride themselves on their volunteer culture, and days into countrywide shutdowns to halt the spread of the new coronavirus, citizens have sprung into action.
Pakistan has registered 18 deaths from COVID-19 and has identified 1,650 cases of infection, according to government figures, but officials say the number of people with the coronavirus could be as high as 12,000.
One woman, Irum Mumtaz, set up a quarantine ward for a public hospital, run by volunteers. An entrepreneur, Umer Hussain, makes free protective suits for medics. Individuals like Pirzada distribute food. So do leftist groups like Corona Solidarity Campaign and the Robin Hood Army. A Pakistani nonprofit, The Citizens Foundation, does the same but on scale, using its network of 1,600 low-cost schools to aid 700 villages and slums.
But this pandemic poses unprecedented challenges: Pirzada only has a flimsy mask because there's a global shortage of protective gear. And in previous distributions, people crowded around him. "They're in desperate straits," he says. "They will come close and they will try to grab onto you. You can ask them to stay at a distance, but it doesn't work."
This time, Pirzada tries something new: He and other volunteers will put the rations in a church inside the slum. Then they'll call each designated family to pick up their share.
Pirzada parks near the church and volunteers start unloading the rations. People immediately crowd around, and keep entering the church, despite efforts to keep them out. One woman tugs at Pirzada's sleeve, demanding food. "Please wait five minutes, mother!" Pirzada says. "I've been waiting 10!" she snaps.
Another woman lingers outside, hoping for food, but she's not on Pirzada's distribution list of 35 families. Shabana — she only has one name — says her brothers are out-of-work taxi drivers and they need food.
Pirzada says he'll make another distribution soon. As for his personal safety: another volunteer group will donate him protective gear.
-
-
#COVIDー19: #Pakistan rapidly setting up new labs, buying ventilators, testing kits. Pak #test capacity has been enhanced from 30,000 to 280,000 and would be further enhanced to 900,000 by mid April plus 3,000 #ventilators, 100,00 #PPEs. #coronavirus https://gn24.ae/9a39b49b12f7000
Pakistan is rapidly increasing its capacity to strengthen the health sector to cope with coronavirus pandemic by setting up new labs, buying ventilators, testing kits and protective kits. The government has announced the new initiatives to contain the spread of the virus, which has infected more than 1,800 people in Pakistan so far.
The country has received 10 ventilators from China last week along with thousands of masks and testing kits. “China is sending another shipment which includes 16 ventilators and 5000 protection equipment set that will be delivered to doctors, nurses and paramedics fighting in the front line against the pandemic” Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Lt. Gen. Mohammed Afzal announced.
Pakistan to receive 1,000 ventilators in coming weeks
Pakistan has ordered nearly around 3000 ventilators from around the world and expects to receive at least 1200 within the next 10 days, NDMA chief informed during the March 30 press briefing. Furthermore, Pakistan would receive around 150 more ventilators next week, which have been donated by different countries. There are currently 2200 ventilators available in public hospitals for the critically ill patients.
Testing kits capacity enhanced
Pakistan’s testing capacity has been enhanced from 30,000 to 280,000 and would be further enhanced to 900,000 by mid April, the officials said on Tuesday. A day earlier, nearly 20,000 testing kits were dispatched to Sindh province, 5000 to Punjab, 4800 to Balochistan while there are 37,000 kits available to be provided as required and necessary. The country has performed nearly 15,000 coronavirus tests since the outbreak, according to Health Minister Dr Zafar Mirza.
Protective gears and thermal gates
Pakistani officials are hopeful that nearly 100,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) — the key medical gear — would arrive by April 6. Meanwhile, another order of 100,000 PPE sets is expected to arrive by mid April. Pakistan has also procured nearly 100 walk-through thermal gates to be placed at airport gates. Pakistan would have enough medical equipment, including personal protection kits, by April 5 to improve the safety of the health workers, officials say.
Testing labs to be increased to 50
To improve the testing capacity, NDMA is working in close collaboration with NIH to increase the existing number of coronavirus testing labs from 14 to 50 in next 20 days, according to the NDMA chief. The new testing labs would be set up in Islamabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Rawalakot, Abbotabad, Sargodha, D I Khan, Gujrat and Bahawalpur in Punjab, two more in Sindh and Balochistan each, to cover a wider population.
Training programme for laboratory specialists
Pakistan is also beginning a training program for the paramedics and laboratory staff to overcome the shortcomings. Initially, NDMA would recruit 100 lab technicians with expertise in molecular biology. “We will offer 6-month contract to these lab technicians and if the program is successful then it will help overcome laboratories gaps for testing patients,” NDMA chief added.
All health workers in ICU to be immediately equipped
At least 16,700 PPE suits are being delivered to hospitals across the country. The government officials have assured that all of the 30,000 medical health practitioners working in intensive care unit (ICUs) would be equipped with a complete medical kit by early April. They would each be provided a set of face-shields, goggles, two N95 and 30 surgical masks, hand wash kit. Meanwhile, the number of beds in the intensive care unit (ICUs) has been increased to 19,670. The capacity of quarantine facilities has also been enhanced to 162,000 now.
-
-
Millions of daily wage earners in #Pakistan are in desperate need of help during #coronavirus lockdown. Please make #US tax-deductible charitable donations online to: Edhi and Hidaya Foundations. Edhi has a #COVID19 fund. Links: https://edhi.org/usa/ https://www.hidaya.org/
-
Comment by Akhtar Hussain on April 1, 2020 at 4:26am
-
Dear Riaz,
Thank you for keeping us updated in these difficult times.
I understand many sectors of the industry in Pakistan and the world are
severely affected by COVID-19 pandemic. I would like the textile industry to
focus on making surgical masks. They are desperately needed. Secondly, we need
the breweries in Pakistan to help out by making alcohol disinfectant. People need to realize that
We need to maintain social distancing and continue to use soap and water to wash our hands. I
would also like to mention that Pakistans Universities can play an important role in reinventing the
ventilator technology which is quite old. We also need help from our military to re-equip our labs
and workshops to start making ventilators. Thank you. ~Akhtar.
-
-
#Pakistani manufactured #coronavirus testing kits, #ventilators to hit markets soon. Coronavirus test kits developed by NUST & ventilators developed by NED University submitted to Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for approval. #COVIDー19 https://www.brecorder.com/2020/03/30/584835/pakistani-manufactured-...
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain is hopeful that the locally manufactured ventilators and testing kits would hit the market in the coming days, as Pakistan fights against the raging coronavirus pandemic.
Talking to local media, Chaudhry said that the coronavirus testing kits developed by Pakistan's National University of Science and Technology (NUST) have been handed to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for final approval.
Similarly, the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has developed ventilators, in collaboration with NED and Pakistan Engineering Board, which will be handed over to DRAP this week. The minister said that he is in talks with various ministries and is hopeful that the products will hit the market in the coming days.
Earlier, in a tweet post, Chaudhry said that two measures of the Ministry of Science were in the final stages of approval which includes the corona testing kits and ventilators
“Two initiatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology are in final stages of approval 1) Corona Testing Kits (NUST) 2) Ventilators (PEC) this will immensely bring down costs of war against coronavirus. We have enhanced capacity of PCSIR production of hand sanitizers and health departments and banks are facilitating," he tweeted.
Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases in the country has crossed over 1600 tally. There are 508 confirmed coronavirus cases in Sindh, 593 in Punjab, 144 in Balochistan and 195 in KP. Similarly, Gilgit-Baltistan has reported 128 cases, Islamabad 51 and Azad Kashmir six.
The country has reported 18 deaths due to the virus while 32 patients have also recovered.
-
-
The law of generosity combatting #coronavirus in #Pakistan. Amid the #COVID19 pandemic, #Pakistanis are bonding together to assist the less fortunate in a unique and inspiring way. Specifically, many are offering zakat (#Muslim #charity) http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200331-the-law-of-generosity-comb... via @BBC_Travel
Outside grocery stores in Karachi, a remarkable scene has been unfolding over the past two weeks. Instead of rushing home after shopping to avoid being exposed to coronavirus, many Pakistanis are pausing outside to offer food, money or other charity to the many people on the street with no “place” to shelter-in-place. These generous offers are often accompanied with a request to the recipient: “Pray that [the coronavirus] ends soon.”
Like many nations, Pakistan has imposed strict containment measures in response to the global coronavirus pandemic, including closing schools, banning public gatherings and shuttering all businesses that don’t sell groceries or medicine. But unlike some other countries that have ordered similar measures, the effects of a prolonged lockdown here could have much more dire economic – and potentially fatal – consequences.
In a recent coronavirus-related address to the nation, Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, stated that “25% of Pakistanis cannot afford to eat two times a day.” As the country issues more stringent lockdown measures and forces people to stay home, many daily wage earners here – from street-food vendors to shoe-shiners – now haven’t earned a rupee in weeks, and they’re going hungry.
In the same televised address, Khan summed up Pakistan’s grave reality: "If we shut down the cities… we save them from corona[virus] at one end, but they will die from hunger on the other side … Pakistan does not have the conditions that are in the United States or Europe. Our country has grave poverty."
But it also has hope.
Amid the pandemic, Pakistanis are bonding together to assist the less fortunate in a unique and inspiring way. Specifically, many are offering zakat, the traditional Muslim charity tax, for daily wage earners who have no paid leave, health insurance or financial safety net.
In Arabic, “zakat” translates to “that which purifies”, and, according to the Five Pillars of Islam, it is one of the most important religious duties for Muslims. This mandatory alms-giving is calculated at 2.5% of a person’s annual excess wealth. Strict parameters exist outlining the nisab,or threshold, beyond which a Muslim’s assets become liable for zakat, as well as who is eligible to receive it. Stemming from the belief that this world is transient and all is bestowed from the benevolence of the Creator, zakat upholds the idea that those less fortunate have a share in everything the community temporarily owns.
-------------------
According to a report by the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Pakistan contributes more than 1% of its GDP to charity, placing it among “far wealthier countries like the United Kingdom (1.3%) and Canada (1.2%) and around twice what India gives relative to GDP.” And a nationwide study found that 98% of Pakistanis give to charity or volunteer their time – a figure that far exceeds the number of people who are legally obligated to offer zakat.
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/philanthropy_in_pakistan
http://www.pcp.org.pk/uploads/nationalstudy.pdf
-
-
Excellent article. Well researched and timely. Please make sure this information gets out to all Pakistanis not only the ones living in America. If you have contacts with manufacturers in the auto and defense industry it would be useful to get them to start making Bag Valve Mask Ventilation devices. They are much more economical, less sophisticated and can be easily manufactured.
Thank you.
~Akhtar.
-
-
Hussain Dawood of #Pakistan’s Dawood Group announced Rs 1 billion aid for people affected by #coronavirus pandemic. #COVID19
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/638340-pakistani-businessman-cong...
Business giant Engro has announced it would be pledging Rs1billion to the prime minister’s relief fund for coronavirus.
“Mr Hussain Dawood, today, on behalf of Engro, Dawood Hercules and his family pledged a contribution in services, kind and cash of PKR 1 billion for the short, medium and long-term,” a statement read.
The statement further said Dawood was committed to helping solve some of the most pressing issues of our time. “It incumbent upon us to serve our nation best when it needs us most. These are our fundamental values, that continue to be at the core of what we strive to achieve.”
He emphasised, “We must work on several fronts concurrently. The need of the hour is to target on reducing the spread and impact of this virus.”
The group further said it would focus on disease prevention, with a major focus on testing and diagnostics, protecting and enabling healthcare practitioners and other key workers, who are at the frontline of the fight against this pandemic, enabling patient care and facilities; and to bolster livelihoods and sustenance of the most deserving in society.
The company also welcomed the efforts by the government and other organisations who have stepped up to this challenge.
Prime minister's relief fund
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday had announced a relief fund to fight the coronavirus epidemic and urged everyone to donate.
"Prime Minister’s COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund-2020 has been set up to help us fight this pandemic. I want everyone to donate towards this fund which will be used to take care of all those who have been made destitute by the lockdown," the premier said on Twitter.
PM Imran urged the citizens to send their tax-deductible donation to account number 4162 786 786 set up at the main branch of National Bank of Pakistan in Karachi.
Sindh’s virus relief fund receives more than Rs41mn in private donations
Adviser to Chief Minister Sindh on Law and Environment Murtaza Wahab on Thursday said that the coronavirus relief fund of the Sindh government had received Rs41m from private donors.
"Fund as on 1st April had received a contribution of Rs 2,849,315,486 from Sindh Govt & Rs 41,325,671 from private donors. Every day we will mention the total donation received & also mention the expenses incurred in respect of corona relief," he wrote on Twitter.
Twitter Feed
Live Traffic Feed
Sponsored Links
South Asia Investor Review
Investor Information Blog
Haq's Musings
Riaz Haq's Current Affairs Blog
Please Bookmark This Page!
Blog Posts
Pakistani Student Enrollment in US Universities Hits All Time High
Pakistani student enrollment in America's institutions of higher learning rose 16% last year, outpacing the record 12% growth in the number of international students hosted by the country. This puts Pakistan among eight sources in the top 20 countries with the largest increases in US enrollment. India saw the biggest increase at 35%, followed by Ghana 32%, Bangladesh and…
ContinuePosted by Riaz Haq on April 1, 2024 at 5:00pm
Agriculture, Caste, Religion and Happiness in South Asia
Pakistan's agriculture sector GDP grew at a rate of 5.2% in the October-December 2023 quarter, according to the government figures. This is a rare bright spot in the overall national economy that showed just 1% growth during the quarter. Strong performance of the farm sector gives the much needed boost for about …
ContinuePosted by Riaz Haq on March 29, 2024 at 8:00pm
© 2024 Created by Riaz Haq.
Powered by
You need to be a member of PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network to add comments!
Join PakAlumni Worldwide: The Global Social Network