DOCTORS, nurses and paramedical staff are playing a vanguard role in the fight against novel Corona Virus. The way they are putting their lives at risk to treat the patients is really commendable. The society salutes their services at this difficult hour and it is also up to the federal and provincial authorities to provide them the necessary equipment to stay safe. An unfortunate incident took place in Quetta on Monday when police wielding batons used force to break up a protest of the Young Doctors Association which was staging a demonstration against a lack of personal protective equipment. About one hundred medics were also arrested after they refused to stop their march towards the Chief Minister House in the provincial capital. Indeed such an incident should not have occurred at this point in time as it has really sent a wrong message to the health professionals serving across the country and playing the frontline role in the fight against Corona Virus. At this time, the doctors and paramedical staff are most needed in the hospitals, therefore, we will urge Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan to personally look into the matter and immediately order the release of the arrested medics at the earliest. Secondly, the provincial authorities must sit with the Young Doctors Association and address their concerns immediately as they are the ones who are at risk. As the protest was taking place in Quetta, a senior doctor and leading dermatologist Dr Abdul Qadir Soomro died from the pandemic in Karachi. The very first causality in Pakistan due to the Coronavirus was also a doctor from Gilgit-Baltistan. There is no justification of whatsoever of not providing the protective gear to those who are not treating the Coronavirus patients. The fact of the matter is that these doctors treat thousands of patients daily at the emergency wards and nobody knows who could be infected but is unaware. Therefore, the demands of the doctors and paramedics must not go unheard and they must be provided with the protective equipment. It is also for the young doctors to call off their demonstration and rather sit with the authorities to sort out the issues as any gathering could further fan the pandemic.
