Tariq Saeed
Peshawar
As the deadly Coronavirus continues to spread with alarming speed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as many as six Covid-19 patients died due to a shortage of oxygen at Peshawar’s Khyber Teaching Hospital, late night on Saturday.
While the incident has shaken the health bosses in the government, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan taking serious notice of the incident assured that a probe into the incident will be completed within 48 hours, promising strict action against those found responsible.
Spokesperson for the KTH, a major and well-equipped hospital of the provincial metropolis, five of the patients were undergoing treatment at the health facility’s coronavirus ward while one was in the intensive care unit. He claimed that the hospital gets its oxygen supply from Rawalpindi which did not reach on time that eventually resulted in the killing of critically ill patients.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra while confirming the gory incident vowed that all the facts of the case will be made public, requesting people not to peddle unverified information on social media. “Neither this, nor any other incident will be left unused, to improve the health system; it’s service; and it’s system of accountability and transparency,” he said.
“There was an incident at KTH last night involving a shortage of oxygen supply. I have directed the BoG [Board of Governors] to conduct an immediate inquiry & take action within 48 hours. If found unsatisfactory or if otherwise required, the Govt will immediately order its own independent inquiry.” Jhagra tweeted.
The Advisor to Chief Minister KP on Information Kamran Khan Bangash said that the Chief Minister has expressed his displeasure over the KTH incident and ordered the Board of Governors to submit the inquiry report within 48 hours. He said that the option of independent inquiry is also open if the CM is not satisfied with the BoG inquiry then independent inquiry will be conducted.
The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will effectively observe the ‘Covid-19 standard operating procedures compliance week’ to create awareness in public about the importance of Corona safety measures, he added.
Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre said the countrywide positivity ratio of Covid-19 cases was recorded 7.94 per cent in the past 24 hours. Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Mirpur recorded the highest positivity ratio at 22pc followed by Karachi 17.39pc, Peshawar 16.02pc, Rawalpindi 11.26pc, Hyderabad 10.36, Muzaffarabad 6.76pc, Gilgit 6.67pc, Quetta 6.19pc, Islamabad 6.16pc, Lahore 5.47pc, Swat 4.64pc, Faisalabad 3.98, Multan 1.89pc and Abbottabad 1.59pc.
Province-wise, Balochistan recorded the highest Covid-19 positivity ratio which was 11.62pc, followed by Sindh 11.47pc, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 11.29pc, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 10.83pc, and Punjab 4.42pc. Sindh has recorded 2,013 new cases and eight deaths from the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said. This is the first time since July that the province has reported more than 2,000 new cases in a day.
