ISLAMABAD: As the federal and provincial governments are going to discuss possible extension of lockdown on Monday (today) at a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC), dozens of healthcare providers have been infected with novel coronavirus across the country.

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), a representative body of doctors, has blamed the low quality personal protective equipment (PPE) for the tragedy. However, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on Sunday suggested to the healthcare providers to stop irrational use of the PPE.

Meanwhile, three areas of Pakistan — Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir — have reportedly started flattening the curve with their active response.

In Multan’s Nishtar Medical Hospital, as many as 28 doctors and paramedics have been confirmed with Covid-19. Similarly, a number of healthcare providers have contracted the virus in Karachi. These healthcare providers are reported to have come into contact with infected but asymptomatic patients as they were not wearing proper PPE.

Virus curve starts flattening in Islamabad, GB and AJK

PMA representative Prof Dr Shahid Malik, while talking to Dawn, disclosed that some of the doctors had died while a number of others were infected due to unavailability and low quality PPE. “As many as 28 healthcare providers have been infected only in one hospital of Multan. We should understand the magnitude of the problem as a large number of healthcare providers are yet to be diagnosed,” he said.

Dr Malik alleged that low quality Tyvek Suits and defective PPE were being provided to the healthcare providers. “Moreover, only N-95 masks can stop Covid-19 as the size of the virus is 300 millimicron and it can easily pass through surgical masks. Yet the government has been insisting that even staff and doctors should wear surgical masks, which are useless,” he said.

Dr Mirza, the PM’s aide on health, has been claiming that the quality of PPE is according to the international standards.

Dr Malik said it was unfortunate that the government was purchasing ventilators without realising that there was lack of human resources to run them and take care of patients.

In a statement, the PMA said health professionals must be protected all over the country on a priority basis because they and their families were at risk. “So many doctors have been found positive with coronavirus; one of the recent examples is of an ENT professor at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, who has tested positive for coronavirus and has been shifted to ICU. He is on ventilator and fighting for his life. Two of our doctors have died so far while fighting on the frontline — Dr Usama Riaz and Dr Abdul Qadir Soomro. Unfortunately, no compensation has been announced yet for the aggrieved families of the deceased doctors,” the statement added.

SAPM Dr Mirza told the media that the PPE, especially N-95 masks, were being wrongly used by the health professionals and suggested that only those doctors should wear N-95 masks who were required to wear them as their irrational use would deprive the needy ones of N-95 masks.

“I suggest that doctors should consult the guideline of World Health Organisation regarding PPE,” the PM’s aide added.

367 on ventilators

He said 14 persons died over the past 24 hours and 367 persons were put on ventilators due to their critical condition. He insisted that 50 per cent cases in Pakistan spread due to local transmission. “Take precautionary measures because casual attitude towards Covid-19 will make the situation uncontrollable,” he warned.

While the overall situation in most parts of the country is worsening, Pakistan’s capital as well as two other areas Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK have started flattening the curve.

An official of the Ministry of National Health Services explained that the curve is flattened when the number of incoming patients equals the number of recovered patients.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2020