COVID-19: Online initiative for exchange of expertise with world health institutions in Pakistan
Yaran-e-Watan launched to fill health workforce gap, reverse brain drain
Islambad: In order to benefit from overseas health experts in the battle against coronavirus, Pakistan has announced the launch of ‘Yaran-e-Watan’ — a Pakistan Diaspora Health Initiative (PDHI) to enable overseas Pakistani health professionals share their expertise and resources.
Through this online platform, they will be connected as volunteers putting in their bit of efforts to serve their countrymen and women in these critical times.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday took to his twitter account and welcomed the launching of this online initiative for the overseas Pakistani experts on health.
“Pakistani health professionals are on the frontline in the fight against #COVID19 across the world. They also want to help us combat COVID19 in Pak. We have launched @YaranWatan initiative for our overseas health professionals who can now register to volunteer their services,” said the prime minister.
Yaran-e-Watan or “Friends of the Country” is a collaborative venture of the Ministry of National Health Services, and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.
The platform has come into operation with support from the International Migration Organization, the World Health Organisation, and the National Information Board of Technology.
An estimated number of 1,700 Pakistani physicians proceed to foreign lands every year from a practicing physicians’ pool. Among the number, 1,150 immigrate to other countries while roughly there are 30,000 Pakistani trained medical doctors working overseas, with a significant number eager to contribute to the health of their countrymen.
Sharing details of the initiative in a televised briefing, the PM’s Special Assistant on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza said, the online platform (yaranewatan.gov.pk) will help realise the full potential of the diaspora community for health sector development in Pakistan.
“The enthusiasm of overseas Pakistani health professionals to give back to their country instils the conviction that ‘Yaran-e-Watan’ will become a new chapter in resurgence of the Pakistan’s health sector, especially during these challenging times,” he stated.
Seen against this backdrop, ‘Yaran-e-Watan’ does have the potential to fill the health workforce gap and reverse the effects of brain drain, particularly during the Covid-19 emergency amid forecasts of an exponential increase in cases in the coming weeks.
Dr. Zafar was of the view the government was in touch with diaspora health organisations like the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) and the Association of Pakistani Physicians and Surgeons-UK (APPS) to benefit from their guidance in formalising the initiative.
“If you are an overseas Pakistani health professional wishing to contribute to Pakistan’s Covid-19 response — be it through provision of training, equipment, medicines, or knowledge — register yourself at the website to contribute according to your speciality and interest. Our job is to provide a framework for easy contributions; rest assured that your contributions will be utilised in a transparent manner,” he remarked. Through this online platform local hospitals and organisations will also be able to register in a bid to connect with counterparts abroad.
“It’s a matchmaking between overseas health professionals and local institutions and individuals operating within Pakistan,” he added.
The architect of the online platform a Norwegian Pakistani medical professional Dr. Usman Mushtaq, said, “Yaran-e-Watan’ will initially focus on digital health. Simply visit the website and sculpt for volunteering opportunities that suit your area of expertise.
“If you find none, please know that we will continue to expand the initiative over time with addition of more opportunities. Moreover, once the flight operations resume, we will also add the option of clinical and non-clinical missions coming into Pakistan,” he stated.
The initiative also seeks to promote institutional partnership between overseas health institutions and Pakistani counterparts to facilitate transfer of expertise, knowledge and resources, he further said.