China to send medical experts to help Pakistan fight COVID-19

BEIJING – On the request of Pakistan, the Chinese government is preparing to send a medical experts team to Pakistan for the COVID-19 fight, said Zeng Yixin, vice minister of China’s National Health Commission. Addressing a press conference on China's cooperation with the international community in fighting the COVID-19 on Thursday, Zeng said that China has immediately shared the COVID-19 related knowledge, prevention and control plan, and diagnosis and treatment plan with Pakistan since the virus outbreak in Pakistan. “China also has introduced its experience in preventing, controlling, diagnosing and treating COVID-19 and other issues to Pakistan via video conference,” he added. Speaking on the occasion, Deng Boqing, vice-chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency, said China would like to share prevention and control experience with Pakistan in response to the COVID-19 challenge. “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in Pakistan, China has provided Pakistan four batches of medical supplies, including detection reagents, medical protective gowns, N95 face masks, surgical face masks and breathing machines. “Going forward, China is preparing to provide Pakistan with more urgently needed and scarce medical supplies and equipment. In addition, China will also assist Pakistan in building a makeshift hospital for isolation.” Luo Zhaohui, vice minister of Foreign Affairs, said China has sent seven batches of medical experts groups to five countries, namely, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Serbia and Cambodia, since sending the first group to Iran in February 27, 2020. “Each and every medical experts group, who brave the coronavirus to rescue people, has won warm welcome from the local governments and peoples. The medical rescue team to be sent to Pakistan will be established by medical workers in China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.” Xinjiang has donated a batch of medical supplies to Pakistan, which arrived in the country in March 20. Besides the government, Chinese companies and civil powers have been proactively helping Pakistan fight against the epidemic. On March 25, the first batch of relief materials donated by China’s Alibaba Foundation and Jack Ma Foundation arrived at Karachi. The two Foundations will send the second and third batches of relief materials to Pakistan within a week, according to the Consulate-General of PRC in Karachi. Li Bijian, Consul General of PRC in Karachi said, “At the nongovernment level, enterprise and civil societies have joined one after another in the relay race of making donations to Pakistan.” It is learnt that COVID-19 has been spreading rapid in Pakistan since the first two confirmed cases were reported in the country on February 26, 2020. By March 26, Pakistan has seen 1,119 confirmed cases, 8 deaths, 21 patients cured and discharged from hospital. –China Economic Net