KARACHI: Mayor Wasim Akhtar on Saturday hailed doctors and paramedical staff fighting the coronavirus and said that they would be provided all equipment and precaution kits.

He passed these remarks while receiving kits from Al Khidmat, the charity wing of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

The mayor said that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation would ensure safety of doctors and paramedics despite its limited resources.

Senior director coordination Masood Alam, Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, senior director medical services Dr Salma Kausar, medical superintendent Dr Nadeem Rajput and others were also present on the occasion.

The mayor asked the provincial government to release funds so that doctors and paramedics could be paid increased salaries. He said the Sindh government provided a grant to the KMC for salaries and pensions of its employees, but in that amount they could not give the 15 per cent raise to the doctors and paramedics.

Mayor receives kits from Al Khidmat, praises doctors and paramedics

“We have written many letters to the Sindh government, but to no avail,” he said. “This is not the time to do politics, but every political party should unify and form a mechanism on one platform,” he added.

Mr Akhtar said many developed counties of the world also faced the coronavirus pandemic and this could only be overcome through collective efforts. He said patients were served regardless of their creed and caste at the hospitals. “Karachi is a densely-populated city that’s why it is essential to keep hospitals alert 24 hours,” he said.

JI leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that Al Khidmat stood beside the mayor and they all were on the same page in this difficult time.

The doctors and paramedics have been provided face masks and other kits so that they could perform their duties after adopting precautionary measures. On the occasion, fumigation was also done by Al Khidmat in different wards of the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

He paid tribute to the media workers and said that they were also fighting Covid-19 from the front line just like doctors and paramedical staff.

Later, talking to Karachi Press Club members while giving them surgical masks, the mayor said that in the coronavirus pandemic, reporters, cameramen, photographers and other media workers were performing their duties which was commendable.

Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saifur Rehman and other officials were also present.

Mayor Akhtar was of the view that the purpose of providing masks to the KPC was to ensure that working media persons in the field should adopt precautionary measures. “Reporters, cameramen, photographers and other media workers are informing the people about facts by placing their lives at stake”, he added.

The mayor said the responsibilities of the electronic and print media had increased more in the current circumstances. “The role of the media is very important and the Pakistani media has done a great job and done responsible reporting in exceptional circumstances,” he added.

He said the people were depressed owing to the current circumstances and now the electronic and print media should give them hope.

Mr Akhtar said the government was trying its best to overcome the novel coronavirus crisis and he hoped it would succeed soon. “It is surely a sign of concern the way people are dying of the coronavirus across the world, but we have to fight it as a nation,” he added.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2020