Doctors, civil society voice concerns jointly

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The leaders of medical, human rights and women welfare associations held a joint press conference on the coronavirus situation at the PMA House in Karachi on July 1.

They regretted that the disease situation was worsening in the country every new day courtesy in the absence of any uniform policy in the country to control the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). 

“People are confused over the pandemic due to the contradictory policies of the federal and provincial governments,” they complained. 

Moreover, according to the speakers, people were generally taking their patients to hospitals only when they were near to die. 

“At this stage when patient’s condition is worsened at hospitals or if the patient expired, they start damaging the hospitals and brutally attack the medics, which reflects there is a panic in the society. Beds are not available in the hospitals. So, people are keeping their patients at home by turning a room into hospital,” they pointed out. 

The speakers. including Dr S M Qaisar Sajjad, Faisal Edhi, Uzma Noorani, Mehnaz Rehman, Anis Haroon and Dr Qazi M Wasiq, stressed for strict lockdown as per advises of the WHO to prevent spread of COVID-19 while smart lockdown should be implemented with strict SOPs. 

They demanded of the government to ensure protection of healthcare workers from coronavirus and from the violent mobs who attack them at hospitals, conduct of testing for COVID-19 at the areas of lockdown, while proper data should also be recorded. 

They suggested that the treatment of all corona patients should be done free of cost even at private hospitals with the consultation of their management. 

“No load-shedding until we are facing COVID-19 pandemic and we have to keep people safe from heat wave. No cattle market should be established within the city and all the established market should follow all SOPs,” they emphasized.