PESHAWAR: Three doctors were quarantined after coming into contact with coronavirus patients in Mardan and Peshawar as four new cases were confirmed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The newly-confirmed patients belonged to Khyber, Charsadda, Mansehra and Buner districts.

A pathologist, who handled laboratory test of a positive patient, was diagnosed negative while the other two consultant physicians, including a lady doctor, were quarantined for treating a patient, who died of COVID-2019 in Mardan last night.

“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 23 confirmed cases of the 93 suspected patients with two deaths from the virus so far but non-availability of personal protective equipment (PPEs) has caused fear among the health workers which may affect management of patients in case of violent outbreak,” said sources in one of the medical teaching institutions.

They said that doctors were the main force to deal with the pandemic and they needed protection.

Four new coronavirus cases confirmed in the province

Dr Shaheen Afridi, the director of public health, told Dawn that none of the doctors had been isolated and none had developed symptoms. “We have supplied PPEs to all hospitals on need basis because we want to fully safeguard our staffers against the infection,” she said.

She said that there was no shortage of PPEs. “We are getting regular supplies on daily basis and dispatching the same to the hospitals to ensure safety of our doctors, paramedic and nurses,” she added.

Sources said that the lady doctor had taken swab and the other was in close contact with a suspected patient with travelling history to Saudi Arabia. An anesthetist in Mardan Medical Complex, who intubated the patient, meanwhile, asked the authorities to allow him self-quarantine because of his contact with the person. He said that the hospital where they were working didn’t have PPEs.

Dr Shaheen, however, said that she had spoken to a lady doctor in Mardan and she was right. She had no symptoms, she said.

Health workers have been complaining about lack of PPEs for the last few weeks to ensure effective management of the patients. “Nonexistence of PPEs is causing fear among the healthcare providers, who are supposed to play lead role in management of the patients,” said sources.

They said that all the health workers were prone to contacting infection due to lack of PPEs and most of the people, who remained in touch with positive patients, wanted to be tested which wasn’t possible.

“Initially, the China’s response suffered to the virus when 20 per cent of its workers contacted the disease and same can happen here,” sources in one of the medical teaching institutions said.

Dr Shaheen said that there were certain guidelines on the basis of which the physicians decided to take sample from the patients because the investigation of everyone wasn’t needed.

A representative of Provincial Doctors Association told Dawn that they urgently required N-95 masks, gloves, goggles, gowns and sanitisers to be able to put up timely response to the pandemic.

He said that government was applying risk communication strategy to mitigate the prevalent unrest among the doctors, nurses and paramedics and ensure better management of the patients.

Meanwhile, district administration of Peshawar has notified isolation facilities at University of Peshawar, Peshawar Health Services Academy, Pakistan Academy for Rural Development and Postgraduate Medical Institute to quarantine the patients diagnosed with COVID-2019.

Our correspondent from Chitral adds: a 19-year-old resident of Parkusap village near Mastuj town in Upper Chitral was found suspected of carrying symptoms of COVID-19 during his medical check-up here on Thursday. He was referred to district headquarters hospital.

A brother of the patient told Dawn by telephone that his brother was residing in Islamabad for the last 10 months and had travelled to Abbottabad before coming back to Chitral last week.

He said that his brother was brought to Mastuj hospital for treatment of fever, cough and flu from where doctor referred him to DHQ hospital.

The medical superintendant of DHQ hospital, Dr Shamim, when contacted, said that the suspected patient should have been quarantined in isolation ward there instead of referring him to the hospital.

He said that he would be kept at the isolation ward that set up inside the hospital when he reached there. He said that the hospital was yet to get kits to obtain sample from the patients to send to the laboratory. He added that presently they could only put the suspected patients in isolation ward for 14 days.

The deputy district health officer, Dr Nisar Ahmed, criticised the Mastuj hospital management for sending the patient to Chitral instead of putting him in quarantine as per protocol.

Meanwhile, Lower Chitral Deputy Commissioner Naveed Ahmed has imposed ban on all public gatherings and all restaurants, barbershops, seminars and workshops for a period of 30 days under section 144 of CrPC.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2020