Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has said that the government will ensure an increase of 1,000 beds in major cities during June.
In a tweet, the minister said: “We have decided in the NCOC meeting on Monday morning that the federal government will ensure [an] increase of 1,000 beds with oxygen supply capability in the major cities of the country within the month of June.” Umar added that of these beds, 200 will be provided to Karachi.
Briefing the media in Islamabad, he said the National Command and Operation Center has reviewed the health care system and requirements of hospital in its meeting.
He said it has been decided that a special package will be prepared in this regard for hospitals across the country in consultation with all provinces and other federating units.
He said the federal government will ensure provision of one thousand ICU beds to hospitals during this month. He said 250 ventilators have been provided to all four provinces including Gilgit baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
Asad Umar said that the government is focusing to improve the health care system of the country providing essential equipment to hospitals.
Umar said the federal government would also provide required help to the provinces.
A comprehensive incentive package would also be finalised soon for healthcare workers, he added.
Providing further details, a statement issued later in the day by the NCOC said that the Centre will ensure fast track approval for enhancing healthcare capacity, particularly the critical healthcare.
“In context with Covid-19, Frontier Works Organisation constructed Isolation Hospital and Infectious Treatment Centre in Islamabad on behalf of National Disaster Management Authority and National Institute of Health on a turnkey basis,” it added.
The NCOC further said that “the 250-bed prefabricated state of the art hospitals would be used to treat not only coronavirus infected patients under the best available equipment and medication but also be available for the treatment of other infectious diseases”.
Construction work on the project has been completed within 35 days, it added.
72 vents were provided to Punjab which would be distributed among hospitals in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad. Sindh was given 52 new ventilators that would be used for patients in Karachi and Sukkur.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also provided 52 ventilators which would be used in hospitals in Peshawar and Abbottabad, according to the NCOC statement. Balochistan was handed over 20 vents which would be used in Quetta. G-B and AJK were given 10 new vents.
The NCOC statement said that 10 vents each were handed over to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and Poly Clinic Hospital in Islamabad.
