Justifying the Punjab government’s negligence of not starting a fumigation campaign before the monsoons which led to the spread of dengue virus, Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif on Friday said the disease had not turned into an epidemic earlier and the government was not experienced in dealing with the virus.
“After realising the threat, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif immediately called foreign experts to take benefit of their expertise and efforts were made to build the capacity for better management of the disease by expanding health facilities,” Nawaz stated. The PML-N chief rejected claims that dengue was fatal, quoting Sri Lankan experts as saying that it was a curable disease.
He asked the Punjab government to act against multinational companies earning profits by scaring people of the dengue virus in advertising campaigns of their mosquito repelling products and called on the federal government to share the revelations by intelligence agencies on the Karachi violence.
Talking to King Edward Medical University after a visit to Mayo Hospital where he inquired after dengue patients, Nawaz reiterated his demand of barring political parties with militant wings from taking part in elections. He said the revelations by the intelligence agencies shared with the Supreme Court should be put before parliament and the public.
He praised the efforts of the Punjab government and expressed satisfaction over the arrangements done by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to control the spread of dengue virus. He said the provincial government had placed the orders for import of cell separators immediate after the outbreak of disease and the machinery would reach Lahore in a few days.
He said Sharif Medical City and Ittefaq Hospital had also ordered the import of cell separators and expanded the current capacity for any such emergency in the future. To a question regarding high charges for dengue treatment at private hospital, he said the provincial and federal governments should take notice of the overcharging.