Sheikh Muhammad Tariq, Chairman, Customs Committee, Healthcare of Pakistan, expressed his regret and dissatisfaction over the additional duty imposed by the customs officials at the I.V Chamber in an emergency meeting.
The FBR has highlighted the names of certain devices, including the I.V Chamber for the diagnosis of symptoms, with different abbreviations in the relevant SRO. This device is being used by all doctors, nurses, and medical staff to deal with a contagious disease like coronavirus. In most cases, the IV Chamber plays a significant role in saving human life commonly known as the Glucose Bottle Chamber or I.V Chamber. It has been displayed under the name of I.V Chamber in the notifications from the government of Pakistan. Medical science and physicians, especially emergency staff and medical stores, also use or sell it under the same name.
Officers of Karachi Customs who are unauthorized and unrelated to the medical line refuse clearance by giving a new name to this important device according to their understanding or demand additional duty. The medical emergency staff has been yelling for its shortage for decades in the past and now when the Corona epidemic is at its height, the issue needs to be addressed urgently. HDAP has contacted the authorities several times in this regard and written complaints have also been lodged.
We demand that right now stopping the I.V Chamber by customs or demanding additional duty would be tantamount to playing with human lives. It is clear that diagnostic tools and vaccines are also important as life-saving drugs or sometimes more effective than these. The entire HDAP committee has decided to use all possible legal means to get its voice heard by the government.