Abdul Khaliq Qureshi
Abbottabad
The lack of proper face masks, sanitizers, personal protective equipment (PPE) and inadequate health care facilities exposing the ability of medics to fight the deadly coronavirus by putting their own lives at risk in the public sector hospitals in entire Khyber Pakhtunkwa province during second wave of corona virus.” We will face shortage of staff in the hospitals as doctors, paramedics & nursing have been infected day by day whereas no triage or referral system has been introduced in OPDs and staff has been exposed “.
This concern was observed by Peoples Doctors Forum (PDF) in its cabinet meeting chaired by Professor Dr. Nisar Khan Chairman PDF here on Monday. Dr. Daud Iqbal, spokesman of PDF while briefing to newsmen told that Shortage of protective gear is now being felt in many hospitals across the province as the number of patients testing positive for the potentially deadly corona virus continues to increase. He told that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit consists of specialized clothing, disposable masks, gowns, hoods, gloves, shoe covers, face shields have been needed by healthcare providers dealing with infectious diseases but authorities have not been taking it seriously.
He went to say that doctors have been exposed to this deadly virus as no screening process like in ist phase have been started in hospitals which has been causing direct threat not only to non covid patients but to Doctors & other health providers. He asked the government to immediately intervene in tracery care hospitals otherwise it could be difficult to handle the situation. He pointed out that OPDs are flooded with patients where no masks and sanitizers were provided to them.
PDF Spokesman further asked the provincial health department to ensure provision of required medicines in all the public sector hospitals for corona patients as number of injections seems to short in open markets. Similarly he demanded allocation of dedicated space for doctors who have been infected with corona. He demanded PPEs, face masks and sanitizers for all OPDs and wards in the hospitals.
