Int’l Seminar on “Challenges for the Healthcare in Pandemics” held on March 31, 2021, and organized by COMSTECH and IEEE Educational Activities Karachi Section.
Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General, COMSTECH mentioned in his welcome address that our partnership with IEEE being the largest professional organization in the world has been extremely fruitful and we have organized a lots of joint events in the past. COMSTECH is Pakistan’s strongest intergovernmental organization with the aim to enhance science and technology cooperation in OIC member states. Int’l Seminar on “Challenges for the Healthcare in Pandemics” held on March 31, 2021, and organized by COMSTECH and IEEE Educational Activities Karachi Section.
The year 2020 is remarkable in every definition of the world. I have seen over 3 million deaths, over 300 million infections and over $15 trillion loss to economies all over the world caused by this pandemic. He quoted Malinda Gates that any calamity of this magnitude can magnify the calamities that already exist. The difference between haves and have nots have increased. Systemic crisis increased, mentioned Dr. Choudhary.
He appreciated by saying that what science has done in last one year is truly remarkable. Science and technology exceeded the global expectations. Dr. Choudhary mentioned that when everything has failed such that global economic cooperation, science and technology delivered. We have seen the biological understanding, development of diagnostics and vaccines have happened. Technology has fulfilled all the promises which it has made to humanity at large, he said. This is not last pandemic, we need to prepare and be resilient for the next health challenges, he informed.
The pandemic opens new dimensions of thinking in every walk of life, specially our health care industry which now requires new ways of working, new methods of communication finding new solutions to problems and try to innovate solutions. Digital health in the current era is more than just online vitural visits and distant patent monitoring. COVID19 pandemic primarily redesigned the health care system and highlighted the important of gap that can be problematic in the future, Dr. Muhammad Sadiq Ali Khan said in opening remarks.
The seminar was address by Prof. Jim Buckley of university of Limerick, Prof. Maurice Mulvenna, Ulster university, Prof Andrew Ware, university of South Wales and Dr. Wasswa William, Mbarara University of Science and Technology.