ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Saturday said that the government should bear the cost of the new coronavirus tests for the poor and called for a probe into a drugs scam allegedly occurred under the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government.

Rehman Malik, chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, said that the destitute could be tested either in government hospitals and if for whatever reason that was not possible, then they could be tested at private clinics and these clinics could be reimbursed.

In a letter addressed to the interior secretary, Mr Malik referred to the 37-point Anti-Corona National Action Plan proposed by the Senate Standing Committee on Interior in March in which he said clear directions had been given that the public should be facilitated with free testing.

He said a major population of the country was living below the poverty line and even the government was giving a subsidiary support of Rs12,000 to the needy. “How can we expect these poor people to pay for tests for Covid-19 [the disease caused by the new coronavirus]?”

PPP seeks probe into import of drugs from India despite ban

“The facility of coronavirus testing was not being provided to the private poor patients in the government hospitals, especially in rural areas, despite their requests, which means that the poor victims of coronavirus will remain untested and could become a source of infection for others around,” the letter said.

He said this was a lacuna as the real situation of the patients would not emerge on the national data being recorded on a daily basis. As till then, there were more than 24,000 patients countrywide having been declared positive, “what is the source of their results? Is the data coming from private hospitals, clinics or from government hospitals,” he asked.

In the letter, Mr Malik also directed the ministry to submit a detailed report on the testing facilities besides seeking details of the donated and purchased medical equipment and their distribution.

“How many total testing kits, medicals kits (PPEs) have been imported? How many have been donated from abroad and how these have been distributed in federal and provincial hospitals?” he asked further.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.

Besides, PPP secretary general Nayyar Bokhari said that Prime Minister Imran Khan being in charge of health ministry was directly responsible for the alleged billions of rupees corruption through the import of medicines from India despite a ban.

In a statement, Mr Bokhari called for the immediate formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate importing ordinary medicines in the name of life-saving drugs from India.

At federal cabinet’s last meeting on May 5, PM Khan had reportedly tasked his adviser on interior Shahzad Akbar to probe into the alleged misuse of permission regarding the import.

Following the Indian government’s controversial decision to change the status of Indian-occupied Kashmir through the repeal of Article 370-A last year, the federal cabinet had imposed a ban on all kinds of trade with India.

However, it was reported that just after one month of the controversial decision, in September 2019, the government allowed the import of life-saving drugs from India.

But instead of importing only life-saving drugs, a large number of other medicines (also manufactured in Pakistan at cheaper rates) were also allegedly imported from there.

PML-N president and opposition leader in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif had earlier demanded a probe into the drugs scandal through a parliamentary committee.

“Like the sugar and wheat scandal, Imran Niazi is also the chief culprit in the medicine scandal. Niazi gave approval for importing medicine from India in a cabinet meeting. Import of other medicines under the garb of life-saving medicines is a heinous crime which must not go unpunished,” Mr Sharif had added.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020