With the Covid-19 infection hitting new lows, it may be useful to look back and see what we did right, and whether we can learn the right lessons from the experience of these last two years.
The National Command and Operation Centre has been the nerve centre for the country’s anti-Covid measures. Constituted by the PTI government in April 2020, it has over these 19 months evolved into a forum that is recognised for its success in combating the pandemic. Here are 10 lessons that we can learn from NCOC in order to get better results in our national endeavours:
1- De-emphasise political partisanship. In a landscape sullied by bitter political rivalries, NCOC managed to create an environment in which political rivals sat together and worked together like normal people. No shouting, no bickering and no leg-pulling. As head of NCOC, Planning Minister Asad Umar ran the proceedings like a corporate CEO, not a partisan cabinet member. The presence of senior military officials also helped detoxify the ambience. Lesson: when rivals agree to work for a common cause, they can grow beyond their partisanship and produce impressive results.
Though there were several moments in our Covid-19 trajectory where it appeared we were on the brink of a healthcare collapse, data-driven and logical decisions prevented an all-out disaster. The work of the NCOC here is significant, as it has diligently documented and disseminated Covid-19 data for citizens and provincial authorities. The decision to impose smart lockdowns in areas where coronavirus transmissions were high, too, was critical in curbing the spread, and had the added advantage of keeping the rest of the economy open even when localised lockdowns were imposed. The collaboration of the provincial governments with the centre, too, is laudable, as it goes to show that political differences can be set aside to achieve a result for national gain. Despite a delayed start, the vaccination programme has managed to fully inoculate 43m people, which is about 20pc of the entire population and over 50pc of the target population of 70m. According to the NCOC, Punjab has become the first province where half of its eligible population has had one jab. KP follows at 48pc, Sindh at 40pc and Balochistan at 17pc.
As the government gives itself a well-deserved pat on the back for a disaster averted, it must not lose sight of the goal. It is only halfway to meeting its target of administering 140m doses to the vaccine-eligible population. This is a time when developed countries are offering booster jabs for double vaccinated citizens, as there is mounting evidence that immunity can decline after a certain period post-jab. The government must contemplate boosters for the most vulnerable, but a balance must be struck as vaccine supply is limited, and boosters should not mean those who have not received a dose are deprived.
