The Sindh government is not financially strong enough to provide the necessary facilities
LARKANA: The COVID-19 has spread all over Pakistan. The situation is critical, especially in Sindh. There are many suspected cases in Sindh. Saeed Ghani, the education minister of Sindh, has also been tested positive for COVID-19 and those that have come into contact with him over the past few days are also suspected. The minister has gone into isolation in his house and those suspected should too do likewise. The biggest problem Sindh is facing at the moment is the lack of health facilities. The Sindh health department do not have ample number of masks and PPEs that can cater to a large number of people. In Sindh, there are around 800 ventilators in hospitals, which are currently under use. The Sindh government has arranged 5,000 folding beds at quarantine centres and is planning to place orders for another 8,000. The Sindh government is not financially strong enough to provide the necessary facilities. Unfortunately, if the situation gets out of control, there would be only one mate for each patient due to faltering economic conditions. Due to the lockdown, the Sindh government is to distribute groceries to daily wage earners and all the poor. People should practise social distancing as far as possible whether they are in cities, towns and villages. Sindh only can quarantine 40,000 patients. If the present trend continues, then it will hit 80,000, which will be difficult to control.
Before such a situation comes about, we have to practise isolation and cooperate with the government. In this situation, we should jointly fight the deadly virus. Prevention is always better than cure.
Shoaib Lashari
Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2020.
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