ISLAMABAD: Lady doctors in Karachi and nurses in Quetta have warned the government that allowing people to shop in the markets and offer prayers including Taraweeh in the mosques during Ramadhan could destroy all the past efforts to check the coronavirus in the country.
On Saturday, Pakistan reported 11,750 confirmed cases of coronavirus, 248 deaths and 2,750 cured from virus.
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club Dr Nighat Shah, Dr Nusrat Shah, Dr Safia Zafar, Dr Razia Korejo, Dr Farah Abu Hala and others — all doctors at local hospitals — expressed their concerns over people’s listless attitude towards social distancing which they said was the only viable solution at the moment to avoid contracting COVID-19.
Need for tightening up lockdown
“We urge the government to further tighten and enforce the lockdown in the month of Ramadan and there should be a complete ban on all types of congregations in the country,” said Dr Nighat.
Referring to the fact that 250 doctors, nurses and paramedics have been infected with COVID-19 in the country, she said three health care providers, including two doctors and a nurse, had already lost their lives due to the contagious disease; whereas, the condition of two others was critical.
Already 1,500 persons are in quarantine in the country at the moment and if strict measures were not adopted, there would be no health care providers left to treat the COVID-19 patients, said Dr Nusrat.
Social distancing, only viable solution
They begged the people to listen to what the health care providers and experts were saying at the moment as there was no other option available anywhere in the world except social distancing to avoid contracting the viral disease.
A doctor on the occasion urged the mothers to keep their children and other members of the family at home and not to let them go out as there was an extreme shortage of ICUs and ventilators in the country.
Nurses call for countrywide strict measures
Not only doctors, nurses have also advocated strict measures to contain the virus.
Addressing the media persons at the Quetta Press Club, The Nurses Welfare Organisation of Pakistan has called upon the federal government to impose curfew across the country to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Faheem Abbas Secretary General of the organisation said the government should ensure their security and provide them with all the necessary PPE along with safety kits, etc.
Frontline soldiers in war against virus
While speaking on the occasion, nurses’ representatives said nurses were the frontline soldiers in the war against virus. They remained in direct contact with the patients and thus risked their lives by exposing to virus, they said.
Already three nurses in Pakistan (50 around the world) have lost their lives while treating coronavirus patients. Thus the only way to secure these frontline soldiers in war against virus is to impose strict measures and restrict people’s movement and ensure the guidelines health authorities have issued time and again are followed, they demanded of the government.
