The alliance of China-Pakistan-Turkey to fight pandemic together: Daily Sabah Reported
COVID-19 is the current threat to the world and 200+ nations has been exposed to this pandemic infecting more than 7 million populations with an about half million moralities around the world requiring joint operations to combat this pandemic and the alliance of China-Pakistan-Turkey could be very responsive in dealing the covid19 in the Asia.
The world is also in different crises so that fighting this pandemic together is just a mere dream and due the conflicts and blocks in the world, especially west, the 100% attention was not given to this pandemic and now it has emerged as the top priority challenge especially for Asian nations.
European countries especially Mediterranean region, Latin America and the U.S. are badly affected by the virus while Italy and Spain has the terrifying death rates.
Every continent of the world has been affected, and everyone is trying their best to overcome the pandemic and its effects as soon as possible.
On April 7, 2020, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke on the phone to discuss how to combat the coronavirus pandemic. In this hour of need, both country’s seriousness toward dealing with the crisis can help them work together more effectively. Under the leadership of Imran Khan, Pakistan has mobilized its resources to deal with COVID-19.
A mechanism and strategy will be required to develop collaboration and cooperation in the health care sectors of China-Pakistan-Turkey nations.
Initially, there is the immediate need to form a response team to deal with the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. There is no proper cure or vaccine for the coronavirus. Therefore, the Turkish and Pakistani Red Crescent, health centers and hospitals have adopted a century-old technique, known as convalescent serum or plasma therapy.
This method uses plasma from recovered patients to cure current patients. This method was also used to cure the Ebola and SARS outbreaks. It helps patients with weak immune systems cope with the viral disease.
China was the first to use this technique for COVID-19 treatment, while the U.S. and Israel have also received some good results from the treatment. As a result, the Turkish Health Ministry and the Turkish Red Crescent also adopted the technique. Pakistan is also using the plasma therapy to cure coronavirus patients. This will help Pakistan’s government make all possible arrangements to bring the death rate under control.
However, a limitation of this technique is that a recovered patient can only donate plasma after 14 days of recovery, once a second test result comes negative. Despite the two-week waiting period, it is better to adopt the therapy than doing nothing.
Things to Do for Combating Covid-19 by Pakistan and Turkey
Pakistan and Turkey both are serious about battling the major outbreak and investing in medical science to find a cure. Meanwhile, both nations can fast-track a taskforce to constantly share information related to any development in combating the pandemic. This will help government officials from both nations in regulating effective policies in combating COVID-19.
Turkey and Pakistan should allocate budgets in forming a research center composed of well-known scientists from both nations. The team can research the implications of COVID-19 and mobilize resources to find a vaccine.
Businessmen and major shareholders Pakistan and Turkey can also play a significant role in combating the coronavirus. They can form a collaborative medical exchange program like the Alibaba Foundation and Jack Ma who have established the Global MediXchange to combat COVID-19.
Pakistan and Turkey both can follow the same pattern in forming a medical exchange program. The program will aim to form an online communication system that will be responsible for international collaboration. It can also provide medical teams with an important communication channel. Tasks will be predefined and will consist of different departments performing assigned tasks.
China-Pakistan-Turkey : A Tri-national Initiative
Turkey and Pakistan, by joining hands with China, can play a significant role in combating the coronavirus. China’s policy in dealing with the pandemic is crucial for the entire world. China has effectively controlled the spread of disease by following the complete lockdown. It reduced the mortality rate and its cure rate has shown a significant increase.
Therefore, Pakistan and Turkey can seek China’s help in combating the coronavirus. Pakistan, China and Turkey along with some other states can adopt China’s mechanism of dealing with this viral disease by initiating a collaborative program. Initially, a tri-national initiative can be taken for a research center. Others can be invited to join later. It should also focus on sharing all the related discoveries while experimenting to get the maximum result of finding a cure or developing a vaccine.
Originally published in Turkish National Newspaper Daily Sabah