‘Policy and praxis’

“Infectious disease which antedated the emergence of humankind will last as long as humanity itself, and will surely remain, as it has been hitherto, one of the fundamental parameters and determinates of human history.”

—William H. McNeil, Plagues and Peoples

History negates conspiracy theories. According to historian Sima Guang of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the first epidemic in China broke out in 243 BC. Thucydides also tells about the “Great Plague of Athens” which struck the city-state in 430 BC. It not only claimed the life of Pericles but dealt a serious blow to the Athenian supremacy along with the Peloponnesian war. During ancient times the epidemics were generally confined to a specific area. With the advent of globalization spatiotemporal distances have shrunk and connectivity has become easier.

The COVID-19 initially struck China but with great rapidity spread throughout the globe. It has falsified the notion that with the progress of civilization epidemics have become a phenomenon of the past. Plague is still the “terror of Europe” and several other parts of the world are exposed to various epidemics like cholera, pneumonia, influenza, Ebola etc.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has brought certain important questions into sharp focus and addressing them is not only a political necessity but equally a policy-making and social imperative.

1. Scientific outlook:

During Ziaul Haq’s era, interesting notion of introducing religion into knowledge was produced. As a result, textbooks were purged of any material believed to be repugnant to the teachings of Islam. Darwin’s theory of evolution and Freudian psychoanalysis were thus banished. This undermined the scientific outlook in an already conservative society by paving the way to various superstitions to exert their hold on the popular imagination.

What needs to be understood is that our first weapon against pandemics is “scientific temper” and not the superstitious beliefs which are most often travesty of facts. This requires educating the masses about the scientific ways of thinking. People often believe an epidemic to be heavenly wrath and perform various religious ceremonies to mitigate its undesirable effects. This may have the good effect of toning up the morale of scared individuals but scientific measures to combat the disease itself cannot be ruled out. Only the new mode of scientific thinking could be helpful in meeting new challenges. This requires broadening of the scientific base of knowledge within the curriculum as well as its dissemination through popular media.

2. Research culture:

Of all the pandemics that afflict people in Tropical lands none has taken such a heavy toll of life as malaria. For a long time, South Asians thought it was caused by the mists and gases which arose from the swamps of marshy districts. However, it was Sir Ronald Ross of the Indian Medical Service who in 1897 traced it to a definite germ carried by mosquitoes. It was the triumph of research over the traditional preventive measures.

Broadly, the study of medicine has two aspects - curative and research. Most of our institutions are concerned only with the study of curative medicine. There are various medical schools and colleges teaching how to diagnose diseases and prescribe their treatment.

But research is equally indispensable and along with the curative aspect, studies in medicinal research deserve prioritization. Since research is the scientific mode of inquiry, investment in it would pay rich dividends by meeting the intricate challenges posed by modern pandemics. Its dearth encourages superstition and quackery by compromising the overall health standards.

3. Adequate sanitation:

Besides malaria, South Asia has been prone to wide-scale outbreaks like typhoid and cholera. Slums, contaminated water and insanitary conditions are the typical culprits. In the recent past, dengue outbreak has further proved that our habitats remain infested with pools of standing water which create damp environment conducive to the growth of deadly mosquito. The problem is further aggravated when majority of our citizens remain ignorant or callous to the basic laws of health.

To resolve this issue we have to go to fundamentals. Doing mere patchwork reforms regarding sanitation and public health engineering are not sufficient. If on the one hand, improvement in sewerage system and access to adequate potable water deserve immediate attention, on the other it is essential to educate the masses about the basics of hygienic ways of living. This calls for launching a holistic health programme aiming at large-scale awareness among the masses. The government needs to put a fresh emphasis on it through its administrative machinery at the provincial and district tiers.

4. Food security:

Wars and pandemics lead to insufficient food supplies which in turn encourage the intrusion of want and poverty. If the ongoing pandemic lingers on for a few more months, Pakistan is likely to face the predicament of severe food shortages.

This should draw our immediate attention to the modernization of agriculture sector. Considering the fact that there will be no possibility of food security unless the agriculture sector is optimally developed, government needs to lay due stress on bringing the arid zones under cultivation, upgrading the farming methods and solving the old issue of waterlogging and salinity. Moreover, despite great coastal potential, Pakistan could not develop its aquaculture sector like other littoral states.

Otherwise the underwater wealth could play a significant role in overcoming the constraints of food scarcity. The biotechnology revolution could also be a useful tool to increase crop yield.

5. Welfare state:

In 1964 revolutionary poet Habib Jalib wrote a poem captioned “Bees Gharanay” (Twenty Families) which strongly lamented the lack of essential commodities, and the widening gap between elite and street - further validated by Dr. Mahbub ul Haq in 1968 in his famous thesis of “22 families”. But the callous attitude toward the problem augmented the sugar crisis and expedited the fall of Ayub Khan.

If welfare policies foster social cohesion their absence culminates in political turmoil and social instability. Pakistan needs a governance structure that encourages the welfare of marginalized communities rather than serving interests of the few. Cash grant initiatives like Benazir Income Support Programme and Ehsaas can only be temporary tools of assistance. But ensuring long-term welfare connotes prioritizing the food requirements, bringing down inflation level, putting the distributive justice in place, and pursuing the goal of inclusive development.

In coping with the ongoing pandemic, steps taken by the government have so far minimized the losses. However, Pakistan like every other nation is in the midst of vast political, economic and social changes. The salvation lies not only in ceaseless efforts but responding to the challenge in new and creative ways.

—The writer is a civil servant.

Inayat_atta@yahoo.com.