Hafsa Mustansar
AT the time of devastating Coronavirus pandemic the need of new technologies for sustainable development is self-evident. Unexpected period of Coronavirus increases the wave of agony amongst the people. It is assumed that this period of tribulation will completely change this world. To cope with such sudden outbreaks there is a need to broaden technological and scientific field.
Field of information technology in this connection is more relevant and it has profound impact on global levels. Due to information technology the world has made a lot of gains and efficient work in organizations and businesses since the last decade. In some stubborn diseases, artificial intelligence is assisting the doctors to find out the accurate treatment of capturing data from the various databases relevant to that disease. It also helps the doctors to choose the right drugs for the patients. Coronavirus that originated in China, Wuhan in November 2019, has now affected almost the whole world. At the time of emergency China’s response towards outbreak is commendable. By using the expertise of their technological sector and artificial intelligence, data, science they controlled the Coronavirus in Wuhan. To learn from the Chinese experience would also help the rest of the world that is affected by corona virus.
As the corona virus spreading in Pakistan to an increasing extent, the giant organizations of tech and science may take help from Chinese counterparts and experts to control this pandemic. Learning from the best practices as well as using local solutions would be an advisable strategy. This global pandemic has been targeting the social and economic system all over the world but courtiers like Pakistan with weak economy and endemic poverty would be more vulnerable in coping with the challenges. There is no doubt that Coronavirus is not only affecting the social and economic fabrics of societies but it is indeed a great threat to human security in terms of human loss of lives and peace of mind.
At this dreadful time, the use of technology and the wisdom of science may do wonders. There are some essential things that should be on mainstream for mitigating the adverse effects of sudden occurrences. It is high time to develop collaborations among several tech companies to perform well by taking help of scientific data. Artificial intelligence in this aspect may help a lot by accelerating virus tracking; through this the virus would easily be controlled.
It would be sensitized by using artificial intelligence Pakistan should also learn and make a difference in the world. In Pakistan giant organizations of tech are working tirelessly for the help of community. In view of the current situation related to COVID-19, following suggestions may be given due concentration: • International tech organizations may with the core partnership of the World Health Organization start healthcare initiatives like tele-health facilities. They may also accelerate the digital transformation by adopting their own cloud. • Having training centre is the best feature of the international organization that could perhaps provide online trusted information to the people and give them an action guide against corona virus disease 2019. • Organizations can take a lead by establishing a coordination cell to facilitate and undertake research studies by doctors, researchers and other renowned health organizations that are working at transnational levels. • They also try to develop a platform that bring together the federal government, international organizations, academics, doctors and provide them the world access to the quick performance on computing resources in support of Coronavirus research.
The role of technology, science and these types of international organizations in this exceptional crisis is undeniable. These organizations have also great responsibility to serve the citizens by using technology, scientific knowledge and research based studies. Stay safe and stay healthy slogan would meet rightly through working tirelessly and scientifically. The proper use of scientific knowledge is of paramount significance in the fight against the Coronavirus so building partnerships and collaborations in this respect would be an urgent imperative.
—The writer is Mphil in Asian Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
Reorienting ST&I amidst COVID-19
