In a meeting of the Health Department of Sindh held on Monday it was decided to release the salaries of paramedical staff and technical staff working in the province and increase the number of doctors during the pandemic. Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah directed Health Secretary DrKazimHussainJatoi to write to the Sindh Public Service Commission to recruit 2,200 new doctors. A request should be placed with the Higher Education Commission to increase the number of technical seats in medical universities and colleges, the chief secretary stated. Funds to medical universities should also be released, the chief secretary told the health secretary. “The Sindh government has given priority to the health sector in the budget,” stated Shah. Meanwhile Sindh Health Minister DrAzraPechuho informed the meeting that as per COVID-19 management plans, the number of ICUs and HDUs in hospitals in Karachi is being increased. She said a total of 147 ICUs and 834 HDUs will be added to Civil Hospital Karachi, Services Hospital, Lyari General, Gulistan-e-Jauhar Hospitals and NIPA Hospital. Doctors and paramedical staff will be trained in ventilator management. There are 1,382 doctors and 452 paramedics working in the province to deal with COVID-19, said DrPechuho. An additional 250 doctors will be hired. Around 400 doctors are currently providing telemedicine services in the province, she added. Sindh has reported 81,955 COVID-19 cases according to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. On Monday, 1,539 new cases were reported and 74 deaths recorded bringing the toll to 1,343. A total of 45,616 people have recovered from the virus.
