The relevant authorities need to act fast as simple short-term solutions are the need of the hour
KARACHI: While Pakistani leaders and health officials remain steadfast in their pursuit to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, it seems that the crisis is steadily taking a turn for the worse. Recent reports indicate a sudden spike in death rates all across the country with Sindh, K-P and Punjab reporting around 42 deaths collectively in a single day. While these numbers slowly continue to climb, hospitals and healthcare facilities need to be vigilant as the situation could suddenly exacerbate.
The situation in Peshawar, however, seems to be a cause for great concern as out of the 245 reported deaths in the K-P province, 149 are from the city alone. These numbers show that a staggering 84% of province-wide fatalities occurred in three medical teaching institutions in Peshawar. Physicians provided the authorities with a list of different problems because of which this sudden spike has emerged. The city’s healthcare institutions lack proper medical facilities and are short of ICU specialists, which make it agonisingly hard to cater to as many as 600 patients per hospitals, especially those that are critically ill. Out of desperation, anaesthetists have had to take control and run ICUs. The situation also pointed towards a lack of general awareness among the average citizens about the deadly virus as many co-morbid patients were brought in too late while some were pronounced dead on arrival.
The relevant authorities need to act fast as simple short-term solutions are the need of the hour. Apart from providing Peshawar with more healthcare facilities and medical specialists, the government needs to focus on creating awareness about coronavirus symptoms at the grassroot level.
Shahida Farooq
Published in The Express Tribune, May 14th, 2020.
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