Pakistan: Number of confirmed coronavirus cases rises to 17,698

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections spiked to 17,698 on Friday, according to local media reports. While 406 others lost their lives.

In the worst-hit region of Pakistan, Sindh province reported 6,675 cases. Punjab province followed the list with more than 6,300 infections.

In capital Islamabad, 343 people have confirmed of coronavirus. Meanwhile, 4,351 others have recovered.

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While the country reels under poor healthcare system amid pandemic, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday stressed on the need of building its own medical infrastructure and underlined the need to reduce dependence on foreign aid.

Speaking at COMSTECH exhibition in Islamabad, Khan said, "The coronavirus has brought to the fore that Pakistan needs to build its medical infrastructure and reduce dependency on foreign aid".

"We have a dependency syndrome; we don't have that self-belief, we didn’t progress towards the knowledge economy because we didn't spend on education and research. Pakistanis excel once they immigrate; why can't you create that system here?" Khan also said.

"We have to focus on building our medical infrastructure so that we are prepared for any such emergency situation in the future," he added.