First ventilators production facility opened.

Byline: Syed Irfan Raza

ISLAMABAD -- In a significant step towards making Pakistan self-reliant in production of medical equipment, Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the country's first indigenous ventilators' manufacturing facility on Monday.

Separately, the prime minister in a video conference with the director general of World Health Organisation (WHO) raised the matter of coronavirus-related travel restrictions on Pakistan and sought his cooperation in withdrawal of those curbs.

'It is a landmark achievement for the country and I congratulate the entire team,' Mr Khan said after inaugurating the ventilators factory at the National Radio and Telecommunications Corporation (NRTC) in Haripur.

He said the government's focus would now be on reforming the health sector. 'Our approach in response to the pandemic and adopting smart lockdown while keeping the economy afloat has been widely acknowledged and now our focus will be on comprehensive health reforms.'

PM asks WHO to help remove virus-related travel curbs; says focus will now be on reforming health system

The prime minister lauded the initiative taken by the NRTC and the Ministry of Science and Technology for producing ventilators indigenously.

Mr Khan said the country had no dearth of talent to become self-reliant in new technologies and the government would extend support to all such initiatives to encourage the potential of youth.

Later, PM Khan went round various sections of the NRTC. Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Minister for Energy Omar Ayub, PM's Focal Person for Covid-19 Dr Faisal Sultan and NDMA chairman Lt Gen Mohammad Afzal were present on the occasion.

NRTC managing director Brig Tofique Ahmed briefed the prime minister about the history, sectors of research and development, products and services being provided by the NRTC. He said NRTC was indigenously making communications equipment, electro-medical equipment and hardware and software for...