Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah said that the number of coronavirus patients is increasing rapidly and with the increasing number of cases, the provincial government is also upgrading the health facilities. He said that the number of ICUs and HDUs in the province is also being increased and upgraded. This he said while presiding a meeting of Coronavirus Emergency Fund (CEF) Committee here on Thursday at Sindh Secretariat. The meeting was attended by the members of CEF committee, Chairman Chief Ministers Inspection Team Ahsan Mangi and Vice Chancellor of Jinnah Sindh Medical University professor Dr. S.M Tariq Rafi. The Chief Secretary further stated that now the number of COVID19 patients is increasing day by day and we are going towards the peak of the disease and a large number of coronavirus patients are currently in home isolation and now it’s very important to provide oxygen to that number of the people at their homes. He constituted a committee comprising secretary health, VC Jinnah Sindh Medical University, CEO of Indus Hospital and additional Secretary of CM Secretariat for devising a mechanism and advertisement under public-private partnership node for a program to deliver oxygen cylinders to the covid19 patients who are in home isolations. Mumtaz Ali Shah said that timely supply of oxygen cylinders in homes could save many lives. He added that testing laboratories will be set up in divisional headquarters, medical universities of the province. It was informed in the meeting that at present 3 companies are supplying oxygen cylinders in the province. In the meeting of Corona Virus Emergency Fund, Sindh Finance Secretary said that so far Rs 3.62 billion have been deposited in Corona Virus Emergency Fund. He further informed the meeting so far spent Rs 1.11 billion have been utilized and other purchase orders of over Rs 1 billion have also been placed.
